And if you see it from my point of view
by Kennygoes
Summary: "Together we will clean this world of its filth" - Lord Voldemort has a daughter. But everything doesn't turn out as he'd planed. Alice has a way of her own. - "Well, thank you for the picture, Alice" Dumbledore said. "What picture, professor Dumbledore?"
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, this is my first fanfic ever so try beeing gentle! :) Got this idea from a dream i had some time ago and decided i wanted to share. Please let me know what you think, it can only make me better. So, on to the story...

Prologue

"I think we all can agree that tonight's event was… a total fiasco." His cold voice sent shivers down the spine of his listeners.

"My lord, at least we got one of them. _I _got one of them. I killed Sirius Black", a woman to the man's right whispered. Her long, dirty, black hair hung in stripes in front of her, otherwise beautiful face. But tonight that face displayed an emotion you could only see with a madman.

"Yes, Bellatrix. But still, you failed to bring me the most important thing of all; the prophecy." His tone was calm, but anyone that'd spent more than a few minutes with the man knew he was outrageous. "Leave, I will call on you the next time I need a failure! Except for you Narcissa. I would like to have a word with you." The lean, blond woman gave a scared look, first at her lord and then on her tremendously jealous sister, Bellatrix.

"Of course, my lord", Narcissa said. All of the others left the room quickly.

"I have a task for you", Lord Voldemort said. "Find me my daughter."

Chapter 1

"Mum?" The voice of a young girl filled the valley. "Mum?" Her mother, a beautiful woman with long, bright hair and a perfect smile opened the kitchen window to look out on her daughter. The older woman watched her daughter with pride, not only for the younger girl's exceptional talent, but for her beauty and her way with people as well.

"Alice, get in before you get a cold", the mother said. Alice looked up on her mother with her ravishing blue eyes and her dark, brown hair flying in the wind.

"Do you think he will come? Do you think he will come get us today?"

"I don't know sweetie", she answered with a sigh. "What did the cloud say?"

"A snake came whispering to me again", Alice said, as if she never heard her mother's question, "told me the snake-lord was looking for me, said my father wanted me to come."

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming? It wouldn't be the first time. Besides, it's impossible to speak to snakes, you know that." With those words the younger girl knew this one was lost. She started pulling her long, brown hair into a braid, looking out over the mountainous landscape. "Get inside, will you? It looks like rain. Alice knew better that not obey her mother and hurried inside as the raindrops started hitting the ground. Just as she closed the door, a slight knocking was heard. She opened the door and looked upon a tall, elegant woman with long, angelic blond hair.

"God morning madam", Alice said and stepped aside to let the woman take shelter from the rain. Still without speaking, the beautiful woman removed her leather gloves and looked around the house. Suddenly, Alice got the feeling the house wasn't quite good enough for the woman, and certainly not what she had expected.

"Narcissa?"Alice turned around to find her mother in the doorway from another room, smiling brightly at the woman. She quickly closed the distance between them and hugged her friend.

"Oh, my dear friend, I'm so glad to see you!" Narcissa gave her old friend a weak smile before returning to her neutral face.

"Anna, I wish I could say the same", Narcissa said, "He's sent me. He wants her back."


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys, thanks for putting this on story alert and thanks for the review. I'm going for a bit shorter chapters and updating faster, instead of long chapters and slow updating. Hope that feels good for you :)

RonHermione7: Thanks, you kind of made my day! ;) Alice is born the same year as Harry and co. But in the fall, so she'll start in the 5th year at Hogwarts and not the 6th, as the others go. :)

And on to the story, love KG

**Chapter 2**

"How soon?" Anna asked and showed her friend to take a seat. It was as if the two friends had forgotten about the younger woman, whom they were speaking about. Alice stood absolutely confused at the spot they'd left her. Who was it he wanted back? Who was he?

"He's expecting us tonight", Narcissa said, as she thanked for the bowl of soup Anna poured to her. "Lucius is in Azkaban prison." She let out a silent sob before taking a sip of the hot liquid. Anna laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You wouldn't need to worry for Alice of course. She'd start in school with Draco. I think that would be the best for her."

"Draco, how is he?" Anna carefully asked, afraid to upset her friend again.

"He's hanging in there. It is hard, for all of us."

"How old is he now?" Anna asked. "He's turning sixteen?" Narcissa didn't answer; instead she stared at Alice with a blank face, almost dreaming. Then she nodded.

"Alice?" Anna said, as if she just remembered her daughter's presence. "Go pack, take only what you need. We leave in half an hour."

A big, dark, almost intimidating mansion appeared in front of them. Alice took a moment to take in the, in her own words, castle. There were lights in some of the windows, but most of them were dark. With haste they moved forward, across the gravel road, trough an enormous gate, in between high hedges and out on a huge lawn that surrounded the mansion. The look Narcissa had given their little hut did now make sense to Alice, no doubts about it. The heavy wooden doors swung up in front of them, as if someone opened them, but no one was there. They entered a big hallway, filled with old portraits, mostly of men, that watched them suspiciously as they crossed the room and headed for the stairs. On the first floor they passed a half-opened door. Alice took a peak in before following the others to the second floor. The fireplace was lit, in front of it stood a sofa, two armchairs and a table. She'd seen the back of a boy, about her age she guessed, with dark cloths in contrast to his light hair and skin. He'd looked rather handsome, at least according to Alice. The image of the boy disappeared as she entered a big room. Even though it's size, it felt cosy. The far wall was covered with large windows with heavy, navy blue curtains and by the side; in the corner was a huge bed, with the same blue on its covers. Besides from the bed, there was a sofa, some bookcases, a drawer and a fireplace similar to the one on the first floor.

"This is your room Alice", Narcissa said with a faint smile. "Draco and I have ours on the third floor. Your mum will have the room next to this one."

"Try feel as if home, sweetheart", her mother whispered to her before the two older women left the room. Alice felt numbed. Drastic, in the matter of minutes had her life changes beyond imagination. There she was, in the middle of a room as big as her own house, without knowing the purpose of their moving. What was she supposed to do? Unpack? She didn't even know if they were to stay. She took her bag, put it on the bed and sat down next to it. Then she heard footsteps in the hallway, dampened by the rough carpet. Curiosity took over and she went on her tiptoes to the almost closed door. It was the boy she'd seen before. He carried a large book under his arm and had another one spread, in which he frenetically read. He looked tiered, as if he'd seen too much for his age. Even though she wanted, she did not dare open the door and say hi. Alice took one look around the room again; her eyes got stuck on a curtain way out of its place. She walked over to it and pulled it aside. Behind it was a mirror. But she couldn't see herself in it. No, she was an old man with long, white hair sitting alone by a table with a cup of coffee and a paper. She looked over her shoulder just to be sure she was alone. Was it really a mirror? Carefully she reached out and touched its blank surface. Did it show the past? No, the rooms didn't look the same.

"Alice?" Her mother called from the hallway.

"Coming mum!" She let the curtain fall back over it and hurried to her mother.

"Are you ready?" Anna asked. Alice didn't know what to answer.

"For what?" Alice asked in a whisper. They went down the stair and stopped outside the room she'd peaked in to before.

"To meet your father", Anna said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She gave Alice a gentle nudge trough the door. The fire was still lit, but it missed the warmth it had before. In one of the armchairs sat a man, his back facing her and on the backrest was a big snake.

"_She's here, the one you've been looking for is here",_ the snake hissed. Alice knew, she wasn't crazy as her mother said; she was just her father's daughter.


	3. Chapter 3

I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! Thanks all new who've put my story on alert, I cannot describe how glad that makes me =)

I'm sorry if some of the Harry Potter – characteristics word doesn't match with the original book, I've only read them in Swedish and tries to either translate or use the word I've heard in the movies. So if something sounds awfully wrong, please, tell me.

MagicalNinjaUnicorn: Thank you very much for the review, I hope you'll like the continuation just as much! =)

RonHermione7: Thanks again for a wonderful review! Hope you enjoy it! =D

Chapter 3

Alice wasn't sure if she was supposed to say something or just wait for him to turn around. The big lump that grew bigger in her troth didn't seem to want to go away.

"Papa?" Her voice was weak, not more than a whisper and filled with tears. "Dad?" Her long, brown hair was tied back in a knot and her blue eyes red of sorrow.

"Don't leave me, don't ever leave me again!" She said as he turned the chair and faced her. He didn't look anything like the pictures at all. His brown hair, the same brown hair as she inherited, was gone, and his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes that she so well remembered from the pictures, gone.

"This time", his harsh, cold voice whispered as she stood up and closed the distance between them, "_we_ will be forever." For the first time in her life, Alice was hugged by her father.

"You look so different", she whispered, a part of her feared it might upset him.

"Time changes us all", he just said and put his arms around her shoulders. They walked together over to the window and looked out over the dark landscape.

"Together we will clean this world of its filth", he said with a grand gesture of his arms.

"Father", she said and looked up on his pale face. "Why can we speak to snakes?" He looked down on her, and she couldn't say if it was disappointment or anger that played across his face nor whether it was in her or someone else.

"Have you mother not told you?" He said harshly. She shook her head.

"Mum always told me it was just fantasies, that I should stop speaking about it", Alice said. This time there was no doubt about it. Her father roared in anger. Then, in the instant of a second, he bent down so their faces were at the same level.

"What else have your mother told you not to do?" He asked with a gentle smile. His red eyes might have seemed intimidating to some, but Alice somehow found them comforting. "My child, you know that you are a witch, don't you?" Alice knew the expression on her face answered the question. A witch? She? No, it couldn't be. But on the other hand, that explained the things she could do.

"Is that a good thing?" she asked carefully. Once again her father looked furious.

"You are one of the finest and most powerful witches to ever been born", he said proudly. "There are many different kinds of people in the world. Some are better than others." Was she really better than anyone else? She didn't feel any better than the humans she'd ever met. But on the other hand, why would her father lie to her? He seemed to be the only thing her mother ever spoken the truth about. How magnificent and powerful he was, how absolutely trustworthy and right he was. How he was the rightful leader of their race, despite some peoples protest against it.

"What makes some foul and some fine?" She asked.

"There are different bloods you see; we have the finest ones, purebloods, then there are half-blood's they are a mix between pure magical blood and muggle-blood, then we have mudbloods, people born from muggles granted with magical power and muggles, non magical folks", he explained. "And we, my child, are heirs to the finest blood from our ancestor Salazar Slytherin."

It made sense, all of it. She'd read of Salazar Slytherin in one of the few books her mother had, he'd been able to speak to snakes as well. But as soon Alice had tried to ask her mother about it, Anna had quickly changed the subject.

Narcissa sat down beside the broke down woman. She gently patted the woman on the back, to comfort her.

"Anna, it isn't that bad", Narcissa said, trying to calm the crying woman down. Anna's blue eyes were red of tears as she met Narcissa's eyes. "It's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I thought I wanted it but she's so young, so delicate", Anna said with her voice tick of tears. "I didn't think it would be so hard." Narcissa looked over her shoulder, just to reassure that they were alone.

"This is why I told you to leave", she whispered. "The moment I held Draco in my arms I knew you wouldn't be able to let go of your child either."

"She's so nice and carrying, what if he takes that away from her? What if he destroys who she is?" Narcissa suddenly changes, as if she lost all sympathy for her friend.

"If he can change her like you say, it is only because she was always meant to be that way", she said coldly. The door swung open and Draco entered the room.

"Mother, dinner's ready..." He interrupted himself when he saw the crying woman sitting next to his mother. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise you had company", se excused himself.

"No worries Draco", Narcissa said. Anna quickly whipped away her tears and then faced the, now grown up son of her friend. "This is my friend Anna."

"It's nice to meet you again Draco, I haven't seen you since you were a little baby", Anna said with a smile.

"Are you joining us for dinner?" Draco asked with a forced smile on his lips.

"Draco, go downstairs to the sitting room and the Lord if he's joining us for dinner as well", Narcissa ordered. Draco's face turned even whiter before he left the room with a scared expression.


	4. Chapter 4

School's starting soon and I will probably not be able to update as often as I do now, but I'll try at least once a week. And I give you all right in the world to bark at me if I don't ;)

MagicalNinjaUnicorn: Thank you for the review; of course there is be people that will be mean to her and so on, just because she is who she is. But as they say; it is always two sides to one story ;)

RonHermione7: Thank you yet again for a wonderful review! You always make me so happy and your enthusiasm encourage me to write more at once! :)

Chapter 4

"My lord?" Draco said, with his head bent down as he entered the room.

"He just left", a young girls voice spoke. Draco took courage to look up and faced a most beautiful girl. She had long, brown hair, a structured, yet feminine face and the most clear blue eyes.

"Oh", was all he could say. Alice examined the boy in front of her, whom seemed utterly relieved that her father had left.

"I'm Alice", she said and reached out her right hand. He took it gently and gave her a shy smile.

"Draco", he said before removing his gaze from her again. He cleared his throat before asking; "Will you join us for dinner?" She accepted his invitation and under silence they walked together, trough the sitting room to the dining room. Narcissa and Anna were already there. Draco sat down next to his mother, while Alice took place beside Draco, on the other side of the table from her mother.

"Is something wrong, sweetheart?" Anna asked. Alice ignored her, but her mother's seeking gaze was hard to avoid.

"Why did you lie to me?" Alice asked. Anna was for a moment stunned by her daughter.

"What?" All four of them stopped eating.

"Why did you never take me to buy a wand?" Alice asked. The seriousness and the disappointment in her voice were unmistakable. Anna didn't know what to answer, the truth? That she was too afraid of what her daughter might become? "You never even told me that I am a witch!" Narcissa gasped and looked over at Anna after the second statement.

"You never told...?" It was as if she couldn't even finish the sentence. "She is of the finest blood..." Silence followed. Alice took a quick look around the room. There was really nothing in it besides from the enormous table, the fireplace, and the chairs. No paintings on the wall, no curtains by the windows, just cold stone.

"If she was my daughter I'd given her only the best..."

Anna interrupted her in an annoyed tone; "Well she isn't your daughter now is she?"

"I'd rather be..." They both ignored her.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you were a blood-traitor", Narcissa replied. Alice leaned in to Draco, who seemed dumbfounded by the two arguing grownups.

"What is a blood-traitor?" she whispered. He looked at her with surprise.

"It's pureblood wizards that interact with muggles or mudbloods or disgraces their blood in other was", he said. Anna stood up and left the table is silence.

"We'll go get you a wand tomorrow Alice", Narcissa said with a soft smile before leaving the room as well.

"So you never heard of magic?" Draco asked. Alice shook her head.

"Well, in stories and so, but no", she said. "Yet I've always known I was different from the other in the village we used to live in."

"I've got to go", Draco said after taking a look at his wristwatch. "I'll see you round", he said before leaving her alone in the big dining room.

She looked at the clock, they were leaving at ten am, and it was now 09.50. She hadn't seen, much less spoken to her mother since the night before. Was it so wrong of her to wanting to know the truth?

"Are you wearing that?" She turned around and faced Draco.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked confused. She wore a white, crocheted dress that ended just above her knees along with a pair of knitted, gray tights.

"Nothing really", he said. "It suits you very well", he said to make sure she wasn't offended. "But it will make you look like a house-elf among goblins." She giggled and put her hand over her mouth.

"Alright big boy, got a plan to fix it?" she said on the brink of laughing. For a moment he felt offended, but then he wasn't sure if he should just laugh with her or put on an angry frown.

"I guess we could look trough some of my mum's old dresses and see if they fit?" He said nervously. She smiled and followed him upstairs. They passed four black doors before he turned left and opened one of them.

"Wow", Alice said as they entered the room. It had been redecorated to an enormous wardrobe; cloths were hanging along the walls, from the floor all way up to the roof. Some of them were dusty and seemed ancient. Light curtains, which let the lights in but removed the direct sunlight, hung over the big windows.

"Just pick anything you fancy", he said. Most of the clothes were black, but she'd noticed something blue in the right corner. A mirror was placed in the middle of the room; she walked over and held the blue dress in front of her. It might just fit her. She looked over at Draco, whom watched her closely.

"Oh, excuse me", he said, as if he'd caught himself. "I'll wait outside", he said and stepped outside the room. She pulled her own, white dress over her head and easily slid in to the blue dress.

"You can come inside now", she said and gave him a gentle smile as he re-entered the room.

"It looks good on you", he said and his cheeks turned in to the brightest pink.

"It is a bit to big tough", she said, pulling the fabric together at the waist. He walked over to her and stood behind her I the mirror.

"It's a corset", he said and pulled up the ties on the back.

"It's a what?"

"A corset", he said again. "You can change the size of it by tighten or loosen the ribbons in the back", he explained. She looked at herself in the mirror, the dress fit perfectly.

"Thank you", she said with a gentle smile.

"Draco? Alice?" Draco looked at his wristwatch; it was time to go.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all for following my story and encouraging me to write more and more. It's going a lot faster to write this that I thought it would. And I wish to thank you all for it, reviewers and silent readers. Thank you!

I've spent some time reading on internet about Harry mostly to catch some characteristic word, and found out that the Swedish Harry Potter and the English version seem quite different. I'm going to follow the Swedish one and some parts of the movies mostly, so if something is missing or it seems like I've changed something it's just because of that. ;)

RonHermione7: Thank you again for the review! I'm sorry if I confused you, but they are in the Malfoy Manor's, that's why Draco is hanging around the house. Hope you didn't get too disappointed by that. :) I've always pictured Draco rather shy, and that he acts so over the top to hide that part of him. Love that you love it! ;)

NegligibleNaina: I'm not sure what the 'aw' is about, but thank you anyway; it still made me happy ;)

Chapter 5

They walked across the empty lane. There were only a few groups of people walking by; all of them seemed to be in a rush. Some of the shops were closed, windows nailed shut with boards and doors hanging on their hinges. It felt cold, tough it was the 24th of June. They walked by a bright shop with the sign 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes', which immediately caught Alice's attention.

"The Weasley's are blood traitors, don't bother going in there", Draco said quiet enough for only Alice to hear. She took a last look over her shoulder on the shop. She couldn't quite understand what was wrong with it, but followed the Malfoy's as told. They entered a small, dampened shop with nothing more than a desk and bookcases behind it. A small, white-haired man stepped forward to the desk and looked at them

"God morning Mrs Malfoy, what can I do for you today?" the man asked. He had a gentle voice. Narcissa did not answer; she simply pushed Alice forward to the desk.

"The girl needs a wand", she then said firmly. As the old man's gaze turned to her, Alice could swear he was about to faint before he put on a forced smile.

"May I ask for your name, miss?"

"Alice Gaunt", she said with a smile. "And what is yours, sir?" He didn't seem relived at all of her answer, in fact, he seemed even more bothered.

"I am Ollivander." They stared at each other for a moment before Mr Ollivander turned around and stated looking in his bookcases. "Is this your first wand Miss Gaunt?"

"Please, Mr Ollivander, call me Alice. And yes, it is", she said. He picked out a small, oblong box and gave it to her. She opened it and took up the beautifully crafted piece of wood. Then she put it down as if it had given her an electric shock.

"Didn't feel too good I presume?" He said, and retrieved the box from her.

"No", she said with a shy smile.

"What about..." He took out another box. "This one?" He gave her the box, she opened it. "9½'', yew with a phoenix feather", he said. Alice picked it up. It gave away a warm, good feeling.

"This one feels great", she said, without letting it out of her sight.

"It is very similar to the one I once sold to your father", Mr Ollivander said in a whisper. He bent even closer to her. "You look very much like he used to."

"How did you...?" He interrupted her.

"Miss Alice, I remember every wand I've ever sold, that includes the face of the one I sold them to", he said with a smile. She smiled back at him, paid and thanked him before leaving the shop for Malfoy Manor.

Draco looked down the stairs that went to the dungeons. He could have sworn someone was down there. He closed the book in his hands together and put it on the small table beside him. He stepped down the stairs and opened the Iron Gate. Usually he avoided this part of the house.

"Hello?" The air felt wet and the darkness was insistent.

"Draco?" Draco turned around, but no one was there. The echo made it impossible to know where the sound had come from.

"Lumos", he said and the end of his wand lit. "Alice?" She turned around.

"Oh, thank god", she said utterly relieved.

"What are you doing down here?" They started walking back towards the stair.

"I thought I heard someone and then it went so dark that I lost my way", she explained.

"You shouldn't be down here, not ever!" Draco said, in a tone a bit more harsh than he'd imagined. Alice didn't answer; she just followed him to the stairs and then left his side.

"Alice?" He called after her. She stopped on the top step of the stair and turned to him. "Uhm, what are you going to do now?" He pulled his hand over his hair to make sure it was still in place – or if it was a bad habit, Alice couldn't tell.

"Your mum gave me some books with spells; I was going to read some of them. Why?" she said a bit suspiciously.

"It doesn't matter", he said so quiet Alice almost couldn't hear him. She took a few steps down. He didn't seem to notice her movement, he just picked up the book where he'd left it and started walking towards the other staircase. Alice watched him as he walked with his head bent down. There was something more wrong than just the obvious. Alice had noticed the absence of his father and reckoned it had something to do with it. Overall he seemed unease with his life situation. Then it seemed as he suddenly remembered something, he turned around and by the expression of his face he'd thought Alice had left. He looked up at her for a moment before looking the other way again.

"Why didn't you just use your wand as a torch?" He asked.

"I didn't remember that I had it", she said in surprise. "Besides, I think I left it in my room." She bit her bottom lip and prepared to be yelled at, not that she thought he'd yelled at her – she just felt like that was something you could get yelled because of.

"You shouldn't go anywhere without your wand, Alice", he said, but it sounded to be in concern. She took another few steps down the stair. Their eyes met. He had the brightest colour of gray, with small, almost unnoticeable sprays of blue, just around the black centre of the eye. He flushed and looked down in the floor with a shy smile.

"How did you do that by the way?" Alice asked.

"What did I do?"

"Make your wand glow?" He took out his wand, twitched it and said;

"Lumos." The wand lit up in the end. "Nox", he said and the wand stopped glowing.

"Wow, that is amazing", she elatedly said. "Can you show me something more?"

"Go fetch you wand and I'll show you anything", he said. She immediately turned her steps, ran to her room and fetched her wand.


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter is a bit longer than the previous ones. I feel good about it and I hope that you will like it too. Don't be too harsh on Alice, she's only doing what she think is right. ;)

RonHermione7: Oh, you meant that kind of house. Well, we'll just have to wait and see ;) It's not too long before they'll start at Hogwarts now.

Chapter 6

Alice opened the door and hurried inside. It had started raining when they were in the backyard and it'd just gushed down on them.

"It looks as we've taken a bath", Alice said laughing, "how long were we out there? A minute?" Draco closed the door behind him.

"I'd say thirty seconds", he said and shook some of the water of.

"Stop it I'm getting wet", she said and held her hand up to protect her from the water coming of his body.

"Who are you kidding? You already are wet!"

"Alice." Alice turned around and looked at Narcissa. She looked almost too serious and the deep frown didn't suit her otherwise beautiful face. "Your father is waiting for you in the sitting room", she said and turned to walk back upstairs. She turned back to where Draco stood, but he'd disappeared. With a slight nudge with her shoulders she went upstairs and to the sitting room. The big house felt cold and she wished she'd changed her clothes before seeing her father. But on the other hand she also knew he didn't like to be kept waiting. Alice entered the sitting room to find her father standing by the window to her left. She walked across the room and stood beside him.

"I couldn't help but notice that you seem to get very well along with young Draco", Voldemort said, without looking at Alice.

"Well yes", she confessed. "It's hard to not keep company when there's practically no one else around." Truthfully, she didn't owe the older man an explanation, but she still felt as she had to give one.

"I do not wish that you take future interest in the boy", her father said. "His blood is not fine enough for you." Alice didn't quite understand what he meant; Draco was pureblood, from a wealthy family and with exceptional social contacts. Could it possibly get better?

"We are nothing more than friends", she said, finishing the topic of. Voldemort turned around and faced his daughter, if he'd still looked like he did forty years ago, only a blind man wouldn't see that they were family. He felt proud that his gens had suppressed her mother's; it only showed he was the stronger one.

"Now my child, tell me, have you ever heard of the three most powerful spells?" He asked. Alice wasn't sure which spells he referred to and shook her head.

"Have you ever heard about the Imperius Curse?" She shook her head again. "Then I will show you." A small elf entered the room. She had a bit rosy cheeks, big, almost glowing eyes and wore nothing but a piece of a bedcover tied around her body. Lord Voldemort pointed his wand in the elf's direction and spoke;

"Imperio." The elf looked up on her new master, bowed so that the tip of her nose touched the floor. "You see, Alice, this curse allows me to have absolute control over another living being… What do you want her to do?" Alice wasn't sure what she wanted.

"Make her tap-dance?" Voldemort gave the elf a meaningful look and the elf started tap-dancing.

"I want you to try it", he said, putting his wand back inside of his robe. Alice took out her wand and pointed it at the elf. She wasn't going to disappoint her father. "Feel it, feel the need to control this creature all the way from your stomach to your hand and trough your wand."

"Imperio", she said and the elf suddenly stopped dancing, turning her gaze against Alice instead before bowing down as she'd done only moments ago toward Lord Voldemort.

"Well done", he said with a smile, clapping his hands.

"Brilliant", Alice said, chocked over her success. "What's next?"

"The Cruciatus Curse", he said. "The curse is used on enemies to inflict pain." He took out his wand once again and pointed it on the blank starring elf. "Crucio!" The elf fell down on the floor; she strutted and screamed out in pain. "You have to mean them harm for it to work. Feel it, they deserve it", Voldemort said, exhilarated by the screaming elf. He broke the spell and the elf stopped. Alice understood it was now her turn. She raised her wand once more and pointed it on the elf.

"Crucio", she said. The elf twitched, but nothing more happened.

"Remember, the elf deserves it", he whispered in her ear. Determined to not disappoint her father, she pointed her wand on the elf again and only whispered the words out. The elf fell down to the floor again, screaming. Of the surprise, Alice broke the spell.

"Well done!" Voldemort said again in delight. "Remember those curses, remember the feeling of them." Alice nodded; she wasn't sure what to think. If felt wrong, all of it, but in the same time… It was her father that told her this and he only has her best inters in mind, right?

"And now to the last, the killing curse", Voldemort said. He raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!" A green flash appeared and the elf fell down, with her eyes still open. "Do not fear death", Voldemort said and put a hand on Alice's shoulder. "Not for those whom deserve it." She didn't respond. "Friday, I'll join you for dinner", he said and left the room. Alice walked over to the elf. Had she really deserved to die? What could an elf possibly do to a wizard that made her deserve death?

"Alice?" Alice turned and faced her mother. "Have you done this?" Anna asked, she stepped in to the room and looked at her daughter in horror.

"No", Alice said. "Father did."

"Why?" Alice, who still was mad at her mother didn't respond. What did Anna have to do with Alice and her father's business anyway?

"Leave me", Alice said. Anna gave her one last, worried look before leaving the room. Alice sat down on the floor beside the elf and put her hands on the elf's tiny chest. She yelped out in pain, but it didn't last long. The elf blinked, took several deep breaths and then sat up.

"What is your name?" Alice asked. The elf looked at her with wide eyes.

"Beth, Miss", the elf said.

"Beth, I want you to leave, you're free. Go somewhere you'll be safe and stay there. Never come back to this place, do you understand?" The elf nodded, stood up and looked at Alice with humble eyes. "Do you have a place to go?"

"I'll go to Hogwarts, miss, where I was born. Albus Dumbledore will protect me", Beth said. "Thank you miss", she said before disappearing with a bam.

Draco stood by the living room window, looking out on their latest houseguest. She sat in the grass by herself, looking rather bored. He decided to join her, being bored himself it sounded like the most amusing thing to do. There was something about her that he couldn't place a finger on. Except the fact that she was stunningly beautiful and absolutely adorable, there was something to her that stirred in Draco's mind.

"Can I join you?" She looked up on him with a smile and padded gently in the grass beside her.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" He just nodded. "Where is your mother by the way? I haven't seen her since breakfast."

"She's shopping in Diagon alley …"

"Right," she said and gave him a soft smile. She lifted her hand and a few small rocks formed a man under her hand, she lifted her fingers, like she pulled invisible strings to make the little stone puppet move.

"How do you do that?" It wasn't the first time Draco had seen her do it.

"You just concentrate on the rocks and lift them up", she explained, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. He did as she said, focused on a group of rocks and tried to make them move. As he'd expected, nothing happened.

"Feel them in your fingers", she said with a smile. "Like this." She placed her hand upon his. He could feel the red colour spread in his face, not because he'd failed the first time, but because she'd touched him.

"Can you feel it?"

"Yes", he answered as fast as he could so she wouldn't look up on him and see his embarrassment. He lost focus and the stone puppet fell down to become the little pile it used to be. He sighed and lied down on his back, looking up on the blue sky.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "You seemed a bit shaken from yesterday."

"It's just much to take in at once", she said with a shrug of her shoulders. She looked over at the boy lying next to her. He didn't wear black clothes today, as he usually did. He had a pair of blue denim jeans and a white t-shirt under a navy blue vest.

"Do you like reading the clouds?" She'd tilted her head back and looked up in the sky as well.

"I don't think I've ever tried", he said honestly.

"I did when I was younger. Tried to read if I'd ever meet dad. They always said no, so I made them change to a yes", she said, as if it was nothing abnormal with it at all. "I can make it rain if I want to." With that said, the blue sky changed and cloud filled every corner with it before it started to rain. Not cold, fall rain. More like a warm, late spring rain.

"Can you hear it?" He didn't say anything, not sure what he was supposed to hear. "The music?" He listened carefully, he did. He did hear the music. It was as if every raindrop had its own tone that was released when it hit the ground. He stood up and reached out to her. She took his hand and let him pull her on her feet before he lead her in to a calm dance.

"Alice", she looked him in the eyes, "you look absolutely beautiful." They stopped dancing, and just enjoyed the tight embrace they were in. She stood on her toes and he bent down to meet her. Her lips softly touched his ear.

"Draco", she said, "so du you." The turned his head to look at her. They took a step apart. "Thank you", she said.

"For what?" She just smiled at him before leaving him, standing as a question mark.


	7. Chapter 7

I've struggled a bit with chapter 7, I knew what I wanted to happen, but I had a bit of a hard time getting there. So I'm sorry if it isn't as good as usual, but it will lead to something better, I promise! :)

AvengedSevenfoldLover: Thank you, for the review and everything. :)

xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! :)

RonHermione7: Thank you as always!

Chapter 7

"How come you two are always wet?" Narcissa asked her son as she waved her wand and Draco's clothes dried up. "And what are you wearing? Did I not tell you Bellatrix is coming for lunch?"

"I was just about to go and change", he mumbled and steered to the stairs.

"Hurry, lunch's in ten minutes", Narcissa said.

When Draco came back downstairs to the dining room, the woman's were already there. He tended to avoid his aunts' seeking gaze and sat down across from Alice.

"Draco, can you send me the potato, please?" Alice asked. Draco picked up the bowl of potato's and reached it over Alice. For a second their hands met and he felt the blush creeping up his face.

"Thank you", Alice said, smiling. He smiled back, but quickly focused on the food again. He peaked over at his aunt, who'd stopped eating at watched the two youngsters closely. An unpleasant feeling rolled down his spine. Bellatrix was up to something.

"So, Alice, I heard that the Dark Lord gave you a private lesion of the three curses", Bellatrix said. It wasn't until now Draco realized that Alice's mother was missing.

"Father wanted me to learn from the best", Alice said, the tension between them were unmistakable.

"Father?" Bellatrix said and put down her fork on the table with a loud; bang!

"Yes?" Alice said, starting a starring competition between the two. "Imagine, he chose _her_ over you."

"You're lying! There was more to it than just choice!" Bellatrix's eyes widened.

"What then? Her blood is purer than yours?" Silence followed. "But to be true", Alice said in a whisper. "I'd rather have you as my mother." Bellatrix seemed overjoyed by the statement. But then her expression changed. The mood went stiff again, and Bellatrix's gaze felt cold and searching.

"The dark lord has ordered me to take you to Diagon Alley", she said to Alice.

"What for?" Alice asked, she couldn't see any reasonable reason for Bellatrix to take her there. Why couldn't she go with Narcissa and Draco next week?

"To buy your Hogwarts supplies", Bellatrix said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why can't I go with Draco and Narcissa?" Bellatrix starred at her with black eyes.

"You know what your father said to you about that", Bellatrix said, almost yelled actually. Alice didn't catch what she referred to at first. Then it hit her; he'd told her not to take any further interest in Draco, and she hadn't. They were just friends, right?

"Is it so wrong of me to go somewhere with my friends?"

"You will do as told!" Alice went numbed, clearly her father had been very strict on that point. She was to go with Bellatrix to Diagon Alley, sounded fun...

"Fine", Alice said. It was clear in the tone of her voice that she'd given this one up. "Come get me when it's time to leave", she said and left the table. Alice hadn't even finished her plate. The remaining trio ate under silence, desperately trying to avoid eye-contact. Draco felt scared, he never knew what his aunt was up to and her visits were always somewhat unpleasant. They remained seated as the house-elves cleaned the table and served the grown up woman's some firewhiskey. Narcissa swooped the glass in one gulp and then hurried to refill it.

"The Dark Lord is coming by tomorrow afternoon, he wants to speak with you Draco", Bellatrix said. Draco just nodded. This was definitely one of the best and worst summers ever. If it wasn't for... Well, he a part of him wished he'd wake up and all of it would be a dream.

Two damped knocks sounded trough the room. Alice sat on her bed and looked out her window. She missed the view of their old house, the mountains, the green fields, the wild animals. Sure, there were mountains in the distance, green grass and animals here too.

"Come in", Alice said, not paying attention to who it was that entered her room.

"You won't go to Diagon Ally until tomorrow", Draco said. He stood relaxed, leaning against the doorframe looking on her. She just glanced in his direction before looking out the window again.

"I've got something for you", he said, Alice looked over at him again. "I don't have it here, I've got it in my room", he said with a smile. Alice noticed the redness on his cheeks. He'd probably been trying to find a way to say it for some time now.

"What is it?" Alice asked, curious of what he might want to give her.

"You have to wait and see", he said, still with the small, carful smile on his lips. He turned around and started walking down the hall, towards the stair. Alice jumped off her bed and ran to him. She could see that his smile got bigger for a second when she appeared by his side.

"So, is it something I can use?" She said, trying to lure out what he was giving her.

"Yes", he said, not giving her any specific expression other than that.

"Is it fun?"

"Yes", he said again, then he glanced over at her again. "I think so at least." They walked up the last step on the stair and Alice realised, she'd never been to the third floor before, at least not while paying attention on it. It was even darker than the tow lover once, besides from the cellar. The walls were painted in a dark green colour and there were only two windows in the hallway, each in the ends. Draco opened the door to the first room on their right. It was a bit smaller than Alice's, but still big enough. It was a bit cosier, dark green curtains, low bookshelves with candles placed upon them, a fireplace, a sofa and a table, a desk and of course a king-sized bed. He walked over to the desk, pulled out one of the drawers and picked something up.

"It thought you might like it", he said and reached the squared present over while waiting for her reaction. Alice took it and carefully unwrapped it. It was an old book, with a leather binder and a thin line of golden text that read; Alice in Wonderland.

"Don't show it to mum", he said. "Don't show it to anyone here actually, they'd probably burn it."

"Why?" It was a bit worn; Alice presumed it'd been read several times.

"It's written by a muggle", he whispered.

"Will you read the beginning for me?" she asked and reached the book over to him. He took it and smiled before going over to the bed, sitting down on it. She walked up to the bed as well, sat down beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder as he started reading.

" _Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations?"_ "


	8. Chapter 8

I'm feeling a bit uninspired at the moment, but don't worry, I'm going to re-read the sixth book and watch the movies to come back to my "Harry Potter-world". I'm hoping that you'll still like it as much as usual, even though I myself feel that this chapter is a bit flat. Thank you for reading and reviewing as always, you're the ones that keep me going!

I also noticed some misspelling in the last chapter that I am sorry for, my spell-check program didn't notify me about them.

xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: It's great that you like it and the way I portray him. Thank you!

RonHermione7: Thank you, and as I sad to Mizz Alec Volturi, it's great that you like him this way! :)

I have another request if you don't mind. I'm having a bit of trouble deciding which house I should put Alice in, what do you think? Please leave a review and tell me! :)

Chapter 8

Draco woke up, he had the strangest dream. Not that he hadn't enjoyed the dream; it was just something he'd never thought about before. He watched Alice whom was lying beside him. Carefully he reached out his arm and stroked her cheek. It felt just as soft as it looked. He wasn't sure where his sudden courage came from, but he didn't mind. Not at all actually. Alice put her hand on his, and all the newfound courage disappeared. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I wish this would never end", he said quietly in a breath. Unsure of how she would react, he took the chance and leaned in. She swallowed, looking from his eyes down to his lips.

"Do your fathers words mean nothing?" They jumped away from one another and starred at the doorway. "You little insignificant…!"

"Insult me and you insult you lord", Alice interrupted her.

"We are leaving, now!" Alice got up from the bed and left without even looking at Draco. He didn't know what to feel. Apparently her father had told her something, something that involved him as well. He was frightened, whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Narcissa stepped through the open door, Draco looked even paler than usual and it worried her. She hadn't been able to avoid Bellatrix's outburst. Alice was a very sweet girl, so unlike both her mother and her father. That the two of them had found each other was no surprise, she was exactly what he needed, according to herself anyway.

"Draco?" She said. He'd buried his head in a pillow. "Are you coming for breakfast?" He lifted his head and looked at her.

"Yeah, I'm coming", he said. The feeling of that something was wrong didn't fall of Narcissa's shoulders. If it were to continue like this, she would have to confront him. It certainly wasn't something she was looking forward to do as she loved her son and respected his privacy. She turned around only to face her sister again.

"Oh", she said in surprise, "Bella, I thought you were leaving."

"The Dark Lord is here, he's requesting to see us. Draco as well", Bellatrix said. Narcissa followed her down the stairs.

"What about Alice?"

"Severus is taking her", Bellatrix answered as if it didn't matter. Narcissa knew her sister well enough to know it did, although her pride would never allow her to admit it. Bellatrix had always wanted a child, but her devotion to the Dark Lord and her imprisonment in Azkaban had made it hard.

"My Lord", Bellatrix said as they entered the sitting room. She bent down so deep her hair touched the floor. Lord Voldemort turned around from his place at the window. Narcissa found it hard to look directly at him.

"Where's Draco?" He asked.

"Draco is on his way down, my Lord", Narcissa said. "Forgive us, but we weren't expecting you until this afternoon."

"Arrangements had to be made", he said coldly. Draco entered the room with his usual book opened in his hands.

"Mother, I", he looked up and went silent. "My Lord, forgive me, I didn't realise you were here just yet", he said and looked down at the floor.

"Never mind, Draco, what's important is that you are here now", Voldemort said with was supposed to be a gentle smile. "Take a seat, we have much to discuss."

Severus Snape seemed as a cold, harsh, foul-looking man when you first lay eyes on him. But as Alice had discovered, at least for herself, he was quite gentle and warmth could be felt from his heart.

"So you are a teacher?" Alice asked, trying to keep up his pace. "At Hogwarts?"

"Yes", he simply replied.

"So I'll have to call you professor Snape?" He stopped and she accidently walked in to him.

"Yes", he said again.

"I can't call you Severus?" He started walking again.

"No."

"Cool", she said with a smile. Snape was surprised by her easygoing way – so unlike her father. Simply the fact that she was overjoyed by attending to school this fall tribute as an undeniable argument. She seemed more than happy of meeting people, and as Snape reckoned it was to meet anyone. Not selected ones, not the "better ones".

"Who are you?" Snape asked as the stopped by the gates at Malfoy Manor.

"Whoever you want me to be", she replied and walked through the gate. Truth spoken, she didn't know herself who she was. She knew her name, her title, her body, but who was she? It probably depended on who you were asking as well. She used to know who she was, but now everything seemed so blurred.

The house was a bit to quiet. Alice couldn't hear a single fire crackle; neither did she hear voices nor footsteps. She walked upstairs and it to the sitting room.

"Father?" She said, surprised he hadn't left already. Draco got up from the sofa, without looking at her and quickly left the room. "Is something wrong?"

"I told you to not take any further interest in the boy", Voldemort said, looking at Alice with a piercing gaze. "Apparently I need to keep a closer watch at you." Alice started walking towards him.

"Sit", he said, Alice wash pushed backwards by an invisible force and landed on one of the armchairs.

"Father, I..."

"Silence!" He screamed and she couldn't make a sound. The he put his hand on his chest, and with a roar he ripped something out of himself, walked over to her hand pushed it in her chest. Suddenly she felt different. Memories she hadn't remembered before were clear as day, she felt anger and hatred. She knew who she was, she was defined.

"Alice, are you feeling any better?" Narcissa asked. She couldn't help but notice the change in the girl.

"I'm feeling more like myself, yes", Alice said. Narcissa stepped in to Alice's room and sat down on the bed beside her. "Where's mum?" Narcissa put an arm around her; she couldn't help but feel protective.

"She left a few days ago with you father, didn't she tell you good bye?" Alice shook her head, she'd gotten so used to not see her here, that she hadn't noticed Anna's absence until today.

"I have this memory", Alice said, looking down on her hands, "Of me and mother leaving..."

"Anna was so happy when you were born", Narcissa said. " She couldn't bare the thought of giving you away, that's why she left."

"Whoever said she was giving me away?"

"Alice, you must understand. The competition for being the one giving birth to the Dark Lords child was brutal. Every man wanted the honour of having his wife picked and ever woman understood the importunateness of the task at hand", Narcissa took a deep breath.

"Did you?" Alice asked. "Did you want to be chosen?" Narcissa took the hair out of Alice's face.

"No", she said. "I was already pregnant with Draco and I don't know if I could have done it." Alice understood what she meant; it was more to it than just carry the child. "Your mother was very lonely, unmarried, pure-blood and devoted to your father. So I suggested that she would... try."

"And then I was born." Anna had only given Alice a bit of a fairytale. She'd said that Alice's father had been a great man and that he was out on a mission, that's why he wasn't with them. And when the time would come, he'd come for her. Years had passed and Anna had probably hoped that Alice would have given up on her father. But Alice couldn't. She felt that they were connected; she knew she wouldn't be able to rest until he was found.

"Yes, Anna was so happy", Narcissa said with a smile. "But your father, he wanted to teach you right away."

"I don't see what's wrong..."

"Anna was only afraid that you'd get hurt. Besides, the magical abilities doesn't show until your about six or seven years old." They say quiet for a moment. It had gone dark outside, the sky was overcast and no light seemed to get through the thick layer of clouds.

"Try to get some sleep Alice, you look tired", Narcissa said and got up from the bed. Alice was right though, Anna shouldn't have left. The Dark Lord could have learned her much of value and them staying might have prevented the Dark Lords fall. They said good night, Narcissa walked to the first floor and Alice's made her way to the bathroom. Hers was in restoration for the moment and therefore she used one on the third floor. She opened the door and stopped in the doorway.

"Draco", she said and gave him a gentle smile. He didn't turn around; he just glanced at her trough the mirror before turning of the tap and exiting, without saying or looking at her. The gaze had felt cool, almost hateful. Had she done something wrong?

"Draco?" She asked after him, but he'd already made his way to his bedroom.


	9. Chapter 9

This chapter's a bit heavy, but I hope you'll like it anyways! :)

Sorry for taking such time with this chapter as well, I just wanted it to be great.

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xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thanks! :)

RonHermione7: Thank you! And super-thank-you for the opinion on the houses! :)

NegligibleNaina: Yeah, I think we all are! ;)

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Chapter 9

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It'd been four days. Alice had a hard time deciding whether she was to confront her father or if she should look for her mother and ask for her side of the story, maybe even do both. She had to decide if she was strong enough to hear the truth, whatever it was. It was raining outside, the big drops pattered against her window created a rumbling noise. It felt cosy and comforting; Alice loved the sound of rain. Just like that it came to her, she knew what she needed to do. Without hesitating she stood up from the sofa, put the book in her hand on the table and vanished with a bam. The air tightened around her, she was spinning around and then her feet took ground again.

"Excuse me, miss", the voice came from a tall, dark man with a vague expression, his face seemed almost twisted and the sleepy, grey eyes. "I think you're lost", he said. Alice looked around, it was an old house, spider web and dust covered most parts of the hallway they stood in.

"How come?" She asked, trying to look past him and in to the room behind. He took a step to the side and completely covered her sight.

"This is not the place for a little girl like you." Alice raised an eyebrow to the man before her.

"Little girl?" Alice said with a smirk. "I bet I could take you with no wand." Before the man had any chance to react, Alice put her hand out and the man flew backward in to the door that swung open. Alice straightened up from her bent position and walked in to the room, stepping over the fainted man's body.

"I'm sorry to come barking in", Alice said, directly to her father who sat at the far end of a long table. "The man was insulting me." Voldemort smiled brightly and clapped his hands.

"Dolohov is a strong wizard; I am impressed that you took him out without much more of combat", he said and stood up. All the men around the table gazed over from their Lord to the unknown girl.

"The underestimate of your opponent is your greatest weakness", she said; proud over how wise it sounded.

"Well spoken, my child", Voldemort said putting his arms around her shoulders. "Do you mind waiting outside for a few minutes while I finish this off?" Alice smiled at her father and walked out the room. The man, whom Alice now knew was named Dolohov was still lying knocked-out on the floor. He was probably going to be left lying there until he woke up. It didn't take long before the door was opened again, this time a large, blond man stepped over Dolohov's body.

"The Lord is ready for you now", the man said, before leaving Alice and the house. Alice walked with fast light steps in to the room and sat down beside her father on the sofa.

"I need to ask you something", she said. He didn't look at her; instead he was preoccupied with the snake, Nagini. "Why did mother leave you?" He instantly turned to face her.

"It was in July", he said softly. "Up until then times had been god. We were progressing and everything seemed to fall in place. But then a friend overheard something, a prophecy."

"What is a prophecy?" Alice asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"It's a foretelling of something that is going too happened. This prophecy told of my death. Although I do not fear death, it is a very unpleasant thing to hear. So I went to our house, we had to leave so we could live together. But the two of you were missing. It broke my heart. I feared that someone might have taken you away from me. I searched, but no one knew anything. The prophecy was right in front of me and I needed more time, so I tried to prevent it. But something backfired…" Alice understood this was the end of the story. She felt horrible. How worried he must have been.

"Mum just left?" Alice said, mostly to herself.

"Your mother left me when I needed you the most."

"And you were hurt?"

"It turned out that she wanted me dead", her father whispered. "And I fear, she might try getting me killed again."

"Bu-but I've just met you, you can't go away, you can't be killed", Alice said. She understood why her mother never told her about her father now, she hated him.

"She also confessed, she wished you never been born."

"What are you going to do with her?" Alice didn't know what to feel anymore. Anna, her mother, her loving mother, wished her dead? Both of them dead? It didn't feel like her, but much had changed recently. How could anyone be sure of anything anymore?

"We have to eliminate the treats against our being."

"When?"

"Tonight."

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"Dinner's ready." Alice looked up from her book. It was the first Draco said to her in days. She smiled at him, but he looked away. He turned and started walking down the hall. Something was wrong and Alice couldn't bare it anymore. She missed him, couldn't he see it? With only a few steps she ran to him and grabbed his wrist.

"Aren't you coming to eat?" He pulled his arm to himself and looked down in the floor.

"I've already eaten", he said, leaving her standing in the hallways as a fool. Alice didn't feel like eating anymore. All afternoon she'd been thinking about what her father had said. She needed to speak with Anna and a strange intuition told her she should go look in the basement. If Draco was in his room and Narcissa and Bellatrix was eating no one would come looking for her. She ran downstairs as quiet as she could, her footsteps were damped by the carpet. She turned and looked down the dark stair to the cellar. Could she really be there? Alice walked down the stairs slowly. The iron gate was shut tight.

"Mother?" No response. Alice didn't give up though, she knew Anna was here. "Mama?" Something moved, something to her right.

"Alice?" Anna crawled to the gate that parted them.

"Father told me", Alice began, she wasn't sure what to say really. "Father said…"

"Alice, sweetheart, don't believe a word your father tells you", Anna said, reaching out through the gate toughing her daughter's cheek. "I left because I noticed that every word he told me was a lie, I didn't want you to grow up in such a home. What kind of person would you be then?"

"Mama, he's going to kill you", Alice said, hugging her mother the best she could. "Tonight, he-he's…"

"My darling, it's alright", Anna said trying to calm her crying daughter down. "You have to do it."

"What?" Alice pulled away. "I can't!"

"I've seen what you can do, you have to kill me and then take it back." Alice backed up a few steps.

"If he finds out he will kill both of us", she said.

"You'll find a way, sweetheart."

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"Father?" He looked at her, with eyes red of anger. "Are you going to kill her now?" For a moment it seemed as the older man wasn't going to answer his daughter. But when a glimpse of a smile played across her lips he couldn't help but smile himself.

"Yes", he said.

"Can I do it?" Alice asked. Proudly the man stepped aside and gave his daughter room. She took a wand from inside her robe and looked down on the broken body before her.

"Please, sweetheart", her mother sobbed. She didn't get to finish her sentence before Alice raised her wand and a green flash appeared. Lord Voldemort started laughing.

"Well done, Alice", he said and kissed her on the head. Alice couldn't take her eyes away from the lifeless body on the floor. Voldemort raised his wand towards the body, but Alice stepped in between.

"You have much to attend to, let me dispose of it", she said. He lowered his wand and smiled.

"Very well", he said. "You are leaving for Hogwarts soon."

"Why?" Alice said. "Why can't you teach me?"

"It would be best for you to make some friends. But choose them wisely", he said and Disapparated. Alice turned to her mother's lifeless body again. She had to move her. Luckily, Anna was a small woman, it was no problem for Alice to pick her up on her back and carry the body to her room. She put her down on the bed and looked over it. There were no signs of a fight, which was good. It would be less painful then. Alice put her hands on her mother's chest, she focused. Nothing happened.

"Mama, you have to let me", she said, trying again. Still, nothing happened. Tears started streaming down Alice's face, it couldn't be too late? She'd only died minutes ago. She took a grip on her mother's shoulders and shook her.

"Mama, wake up, you're supposed to wake up!" The door was opened.

"Alice, I heard you screaming..." Draco dropped the things in his hand and ran over to the bed, pulling Alice away from Anna's body.

"She's gone", he said, holding a tight grip around her. He backed away from the bed, Alice tried desperately to get back to it and it resulted in them falling on the floor.

"No she's not!" Alice said with her voice tick of tears. "I was supposed to wake her up, but I can't do it. I promised!"

"Mum!" Draco yelled, clearly something wasn't right. "Alice, there's nothing you can do; you can't wake up the dead!"

"I promised", Alice whispered. Narcissa entered the room with her sister right behind.

"Take the body away", Draco said, still holding a tight grip around Alice that sat quiet in his arms, crying.

"What happened?" Narcissa said, looking from the two of them on the floor to the bed. Bellatrix walked over to the bed and started laughing.

"I don't know", he said, stroking Alice on the head. "She's breaking down." Narcissa turned to the bed. "It's going to be alright", Draco whispered in Alice's ear.


	10. Chapter 10

I'm hoping you will enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I wanted everything to make sense and I hope it did.

Thank you as always for the reviews!

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Chapter 10

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The trunk used to look way too big, but now when it came to it, it was way too small. Alice sat on the top of it while trying to close it. After all, she was going to be away for a whole year. It was only august 31th, the day before school was actually starting – but since Alice was going to be put-in in the fifth year, some things needed to be sorted out before. Her father had already stepped by, wishing her good luck and said good bye. Alice felt a bit split in two, on one hand she had grown to care and love for her father but on the other hand he frightened her. It would probably be good if she got some room for herself and to figure this world out from her point of view. For a moment she thought she heard someone mumble. Quickly she glanced around the room, there was no one there. Her eyes stuck on the curtain in front of the mirror she'd been looking in all those weeks ago. She walked over to it and pulled it aside. The same man she'd seen before was there again. He sat once again by the table, this time eating dinner. He looked up and their eyes met. Alice felt uncomfortable and started backing away.

"Wait!" The old man said, his eyes were the clearest, piercing, blue and he had long white hair. "Who are you?"

"Alice", Alice said, surprised that the man was talking. "What is this?" She took a step forward again.

"It's a two-way mirror", the man said. "Where are you?" Alice glanced over at the clock; it was really time to leave.

"I have to go, I'm sorry", she said and let the curtain fall over the mirror again. She dragged the trunk that finally was closed of her bed, which was nearly impossible and tried to get it downstairs were professor Snape and Narcissa was waiting. Then she remembered, she pulled out her wand. Tapped it lightly on the trunk that started floating in the air, following her as a well trained dog and went downstairs.

"... Dumbledore is worried that she..." Alice stepped in to the room and interrupted the conversation unintentionally.

"Alice", Narcissa said with a smile. "Are you ready to go?" Alice nodded and her trunk fell down on the floor with a bam. Narcissa walked over to Alice, hugged her and smiled. "If you need anything, just write", she said stepping aside and letting Snape forward.

"Take my arm", he said and held out his left arm against her. She took her trunk in one hand and professor Snape's arm with the other.

Alice looked up on the grounds before her. A broad, green lawn stretched all the way from the gate they stood by and up to a beautiful huge castle. The gate swung opened and they walked in to the grounds. To their right was a lake, small waves was created on it as the wind blow gently. To the far left was a thick, dark wood. They were following a broad dirt road that twisted its way up to the castle. As they walked on the road the figure of a man appeared in the distance, approaching them slowly. The man was rather long, with white hair and beard and as they came closer to each other Alice noticed the friendly, but piercing blue eyes behind the half-moon shaped glasses on the crocked nose. For a moment she saw the same man she'd seen only minutes ago, the resemblance between the two was undeniable, but so were the differences. Brother perhaps, Alice thought.

"Welcome", he said with open arms and a genuine smile, "to Hogwarts!"

"Thank you", Alice said, not sure what to respond really.

"I'm the headmaster; Professor Dumbledore", he said and shook her hand.

"Alice Gaunt", Alice said. He seemed nice, although her father had told her to have an open eye around Albus Dumbledore.

"I know", he said, still with a smile. "Let's go for a walk," he turned to professor Snape, "Severus, do you mind taking Alice's luggage to the castle?" Professor Dumbledore started walking towards the lake, Alice had to hurry to keep up.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir", Alice started.

"You're wondering why I wanted you to come today instead", professor Dumbledore said, holding his hands behind his back. Alice couldn't help to notice that one of his hands seemed burned in some way. "You already know that you're a very special girl, of course, and it is not very often we take in students to start their fifth year." Alice didn't say anything; professor Dumbledore did the talking part so well.

"Did you go to school where you used to live?"

"No", Alice said. "Is there a school?"

"Yes, I did send a letter to you mother not a week ago, but I didn't receive a reply."

"No, I don't believe you will." They stopped by the brink of the lake, watching over the still water.

"I would have thought you went to Durmstrang", he said, glancing over at her. "Your father didn't have much to do with you and you mother while you were young, am I right?"

"No, mum left before I'd turned one", Alice said, not daring to look at the old man. How much did he know about her really? "What's Durmstrang?"

"It's another wizard school. But let's not talk about that, let's talk about your future here, at Hogwarts", professor Dumbledore said. "I don't know how much you've been told. But here at Hogwarts there are four houses, Hufflepuff, Rawenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"I know", Alice said – this she actually knew. "Draco told me."

"Oh, so you've med Draco. I don't suppose that's where you've been staying this summer?"

"Yes, yes it is."

"Why don't we leave for my office and get you sorted right away?" They started walking to the castle. It'd gone dark, and felt almost a bit chilly.

"Professor, exactly what is a house?"

"You could say that it is your Hogwarts family." They walked across the big courtyard and up to the front gate of the castle. You couldn't say it wasn't magnificent. Dumbledore raised his hand and the doors swung open.

"Do you think I will make it?" Alice asked as they walked across the corridors of the castle. She'd already lost any sense to where they were.

"I do not doubt you magical abilities if that's what you're wondering", professor Dumbledore said with a soft smile. "As for the other factors, just be yourself and not who anyone else wants you to be." They stopped in front of a big stone statue.

"Lemon Cupcakes", Dumbledore said and the stone figure stepped aside, letting them in to a spiral staircase. They stepped in on the turning staircase that led them up to a second floor were the door was opened in to a round room. On the far wall hung several pictures of rather old men and a bookcase full of items, there among an old hat and a beautifully crafted sword.

"Please, Alice, take a seat", professor Dumbledore said and showed Alice to sit on the chair in front of the desk. "How do you feel? Nervous?" Alice nodded. Professor Dumbledore turned to the bookshelf and picked down the old hat.

"This is the sorting hat, it will decide in what house you will be in." Dumbledore walked over to her and gently placed the hat on Alice's head. A grumpy but gentle voice started talking inside Alice's head.

"Such loyalty and a great heart with place for everyone; such belong in the fair Hufflepuff. But then again we have the exceptional intelligence, the creativity and the wisdom that only can be seen in Rawenclaw. You are tremendously brave and do not fear to set yourself in danger to protect others; why not in Gryffindor one might ask? The family tradition, the power and the ambition belongs in Slytherin by all means." The voice made a pause. Alice didn't know what to think, or believe for that matter. "Where do I place you, whom belong with everyone?" It asked. A long silence followed. She could hear a mumbling in the back of her head, but she couldn't separate the words. She felt cloven, she'd been absolutely sure that Slytherin would be her house. After all, that's where both her mother and father went.

"Yes, yes", the voice said. "I see your longing for approval of your father, but is it right? Perhaps, perhaps not." _I want to be placed where they will accept me for who I am, not fear my name or my forefathers_, Alice thought.

"Hufflepuff would provide you such, but I fear your ambition might let you get bored there. After all, we must follow our hearts, mustn't we?" Where did her heart lay? In the hands of the unexpected and the warmth. With him.

"You will not find yourself disappointed", the voice said. "SLYTHERIN!" It spoke out loud. Alice lifted the hat of her head and looked on professor Dumbledore, afraid he might be disappointed.

"Finally", he said. "I thought it might take long, but the result wasn't unexpected."

"Do you think it is right for me?" He just nodded with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys, I was just reminded by myself that Draco might have been a bit out of character, but remember; this is from Alice's point of view, this is how Draco is with her. Otherwise he's still a jackass, a jackass we love to love though. ;) I'm not quite sure what I was trying to say with this, but you get the point. Yeah. Oh, and don't get to sad when he starts being a jackass in this story as well.

Thank you all for the reviews!

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Chapter 11

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Alice had placed herself by the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, waiting for the other student's arrival. She straightened the collar on her new, green robe and nervously looked over at the teacher's table. A few Rawenclaw students had arrived, but still no one from Slytherin. What if they wouldn't approve her?

"Hi", Alice looked to her right. A lean, tall girl with dark brown hair, almost the same colour as Alice's, and a gentle smile stood beside her.

"You're new, aren't you?" The girl asked as she sat down beside Alice.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Alice answered with a smile.

"There's not that many girls in every year in Slytherin", she said and pulled her bang out of her face. "I'm Daphne by the way, Daphne Greengrass", the girl said and stretched out her right arm. Alice took it.

"Alice Gaunt." The hall was starting to fill up; most of the tables were nearly full. Further to her right sat a pale, dark-haired girl with a hard face, surrounded by two big, and according to Alice, 'slow looking' boys and a dark, long boy with high cheekbones and slating eyes. To her left sat a small group of younger boys.

"Which year are you starting in?" Daphne asked, she really seemed interested.

"Fifth, but it's my first year in school ever", Alice admitted. It felt more than good to have someone to talk to.

"Haven't you gone to school before? Why not?" The doors opened and Professor McGonagall walked in to the room, followed by a rather large group of first year students. She placed a three-legged stool and placed the same hat Alice had worn the night before. She rolled out a parchment and started reading up names.

"Mum wouldn't let me", Alice said quietly, to answerer Daphne's question.

"Strange", Daphne though, Alice couldn't but agree. They sat quiet under the rest of the sorting, four girls and five boys got sorted in to Slytherin. Professor Dumbledore stood up by the teachers table and the whole room silenced.

"Let the feast begin", he said and food of all kinds appeared on the golden plates before them. They all started picking out the food they wanted and they all started speaking with each other again. Alice glanced over her shoulder, only to see Draco enter the room, walking as fast as he could to the Slytherin table. He sat down next to the dark boy the Alice's right. Their eyes met for a moment, he didn't show any particular expression and hurried to look away.

"What was that about?" Daphne asked and looked over from Alice, to Draco and back to Alice again.

"Nothing, it just..." Alice changed her mind. "It's complicated." Daphne seemed ok with Alice's answerer and started talking about something else. Alice thought about something professor Dumbledore had said to her this morning; it was perfectly ok to leave before the feast had ended. Truth was, Alice had never met more than about ten persons at a time. Now it was over hundreds, you could say it was a bit overwhelming. Her head was pounding by all the sound and expressions; she wasn't really sure where to look or what to do.

"I'm going to the common room", Alice said to Daphne who looked rather shocked.

"Okay, alright. I'll see you later then", she said with a smile. Alice made her way passed the tables and exited the great hall, immediately her head pounding calmed down and she could focus again. One thing was good though, she was anonymous, and she could be who ever she wanted. Her feet carried her without having to think to the dungeons and to the wall that led in to the common room.

"Supreme", she said and walked through the wall. The sound of water and the greenish light felt soothing. This was right, here she belonged. She walked through the big room and to the left, where a small corridor appeared with doors on both sides. She walked in to the fifth door to the left. The room was rather big, four beds, a fireplace at the far end, a door that led in to a bathroom and a window in the roof that showed the water above. She walked over to one of the beds beside the fireplace and opened a drawer at the nightstand. After retrieving a book she walked out to the common room again and sat down in one of the sofas by the fireplace. Not shortly after she heard people enter the room, taking place in the room. Alice recognized Daphne's voice.

"What? She seems nice", Daphne said and Alice saw in the corner of her eye how Daphne made her way towards her.

"Can we join you?" Alice closed her book and smiled at Daphne.

"Of course", she said, moving to the side of the sofa, giving them room.

"This is Alice Gaunt", Daphne said as she sat down beside Alice. There were three girls; one of them was big, had black hair and a robust face, she was introduced as Millicent Bulstrode; the second girl was the same that had been to Alice's right under dinner, Pansy Parkinson; further more there was a small, dark-brown haired girl with glasses named Tracy Davies.

"Anyway, as I was telling you Draco invited me..." Pansy Parkinson stopped talking as Draco entered the room, all five of them watched as he crossed the room in haste. He glanced over at them and his gaze lingered at Alice for a moment.

"Excuse me", Alice said, picked up her book and ran after him. "Draco?" She said and touched his arm. He stopped, but didn't say anything.

"Have I done something?" He still stood with his back against her. "Will you at least look at me?" He turned around.

"Please, will you just leave me alone?" he said, his voice felt cold, but his eyes told a different story.

"You can't expect me to..." Alice was interrupted.

"I think you heard him." Alice turned around to see the pale, hard-faced girl.

"And who were you again?" Alice said, not paying much attention to her.

"Pansy Parkinson", she said with a grin. "Draco's girlfriend." Girlfriend? He hadn't ever mentioned a girlfriend. Alice didn't know what to say, she just looked over at Draco. She noticed right away that he had a hard time looking at her.

"When were you going to tell me this?" Draco looked at her, as if he was begging her to forgive him.

"Why would he want to tell you anything?" Pansy said, lifting an eyebrow. "You look like a tacky maid. Maybe that's what you want to be? Draco's maid?" Alice backed up a few steps. What did this come from?

"I think we both know who would love to be Draco's maid of the two of us", Alice said, before turning around to leave.

"Don't mind her, Draco", Pansy said behind Alice's back.

"I need to be alone", Draco said. Alice could imagine the rage on Pansy Parkinson's face.

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School started the next day already; Alice had retrieved her schedule and felt disappointed that she wouldn't have class until after lunch every Monday. She's just left the common room and was heading for the Great Hall, where Daphne would meet up with her.

"Alice." Her heart skipped a beat, but she stopped, letting Draco catch up with her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, walking by her side as if nothing.

"Fine", she said, looking down on the floor. They turned around a corner and the most arousing smell hit her.

"Do you smell that?" Draco asked, they'd both stopped. "It smells like..." He bent down towards her and inhaled deeply. "No, it was just you", he said and continued walking.

"It's not me", Alice said. "I don't smell like this", she continued.

"No, I'm sure, it's you." They stopped again and Draco leaned against her, smelling her right by the neck. "Definitely you", he said. They walked through the corridor, a door stood opened almost at the end.

"It comes from in here", Alice said, pointing in to the room. It was a classroom, probably for Potions class. They stepped in trough the open door and walked over to one of the tables. It was a golden pot, with a clear, distinctive mother-of-pearl shined liquid inside it.

"It smells like vanilla and a spring rain", Draco said, standing almost right behind Alice.

"No", Alice said, leaning in to the cauldron. She turned around and put her nose in the chest of Draco and then turned back to smell the potion. "It smells like you."

"Be careful with that!" Alice turned and faced an old man, with gray hair, a bald circle on the top of his head and pleasant eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir, the smell", Alice said backing away with Draco from the pot. Professor Slughorn looked up at the young couple standing in his classroom. He looked at the tall boy. He was a Malfoy, no doubt. Then his gaze moved over to the girl. For a moment his heart stopped, he took a step backwards and stumbled, landing on a chair he was sure hadn't been there before and the girl held out her wand.

"Are you alright sir?" His eyes widened as he looked at the girl once more. The resemblance.

"Quite alright, thank you", he said. "That is the love potion Amorentia, very dangerous if used wrong." They stood silenced for a moment.

"May I ask for your name?" Alice casted a glance over her shoulder, Draco was gone.

"Alice Gaunt", Alice said and walked over to the old man, helping him on his feet.

"That you, I presume you're the one conjuring the chair?" He brushed of his clothes and walked over to the table with all the cauldrons.

"Yes sir, I wouldn't want you to get hurt", she said, honestly. "If you excuse me, my friend is waiting for me in the Great Hall. I'll see you in class professor", Alice said and left the old man standing in his classroom. The corridors were near empty as Alice made her way to the Great Hall. Daphne stood up and waved at her as soon as she'd entered the room.

"Nobody", Alice stopped at the sound of Draco's voice. "She means nothing to me."

"What were you doing with her then?" The boy whom Draco was speaking with was long and skinny; he didn't look much for the world.

"She wanted to look at some stupid love potion", Draco said. Alice felt betrayed, what was this all about? This wasn't the Draco Alice knew, not at all. He looked up at her as she passed by; he must have understood that she heard. The regret in his eyes told so.


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you all for reviewing and for continuing to read! :)

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happygirl122: Quite fantastic, I agree. He's a bit different when Alice is around, as you might have noticed. Explanations will come in the future as well, how they relate to each other and how their relationship proceeds. Thank you for reading and reviewing! :)

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Chapter 12

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"Take a seat", professor McGonagall said. She was a tall, very proper woman, with her black hair combed back in a bun and a pair of glasses on the tip of her nose. Alice looked around the big room. Four rows of desks, three in each road. High windows and an endless amount of bookshelves. Most seats were already taken. She looked to her right, a huge boy with severe acne, or in the front row beside a pretty, red haired girl. Alice walked with fast steps to the front row and sat down. Professor McGonagall started talking about their work for this term and about the important exam; OWL (Ordinary Wizarding – something, something, Alice didn't pay much attention) in the end of the year. Alice couldn't help but notice that the girl to her left kept glancing over at her, with a confused expression.

"Now", professor McGonagall said. "I want each of you to take a small pumpkin", she pointed at one of the bookshelves where a large amount of pumpkins could be found, "and turn it in to stone. Just like we did in the end of last year." The whole class stood up and took a pumpkin each. Alice hurried to do the same, and sat down by her desk once again.

"Excuse me." The red haired girl turned to her. "What were we supposed to do?"

"Turn the pumpkin in to stone", the girl said. "You're new, aren't you?"

"Well, yes, how did you know?"

"Slytherin's usually don't speak with Gryffindor's if not to taunt them", she said with low voice. But then she smiled. "Like this", she said, pointed her wand at the pumpkin and said; "Duro!" The pumpkin turned to solid stone.

"Can't I just do like this?" Alice picked up the pumpkin in her hand, focused and the pumpkin turned to stone.

"How did you do that?"

"Well I don't get how you did it with your wand." They laughed, but straightened up as soon as professor McGonagall was close by.

"Weasley, Gaunt, very good", professor McGonagall said. "Five points to each of you", she said before leaving to help another student whom managed to turn his pumpkin in to a toad with huge fangs. Alice picked up her wand and pointed it at the stone. It broke in to smaller stones and with another point of her wand it became a small man, dancing.

"What's your name?"

"Alice Gaunt", Alice said, her stone puppet was still dancing on her desk.

"Ginny Weasley", the red haired girl said and reached out her hand. Alice took it with a smile. "Why don't you sit with the other Slytherin students?" Both of them casted a glance over their shoulders, back at the Slytherin students.

"They're horrible", Alice said. They were all rather foul-looking, and none of them seemed interested in learning anything. One of the students had managed to set fire on professor McGonagall's hat, which gave that student detention but the rest of them to leave early. Ginny walked side by side with Alice, most of the other students watched them with wide eyes, some even ran to the side to make way for the two.

"Hi Ginny", said a boy with black hair and glowing green eyes. He somehow seemed familiar to Alice.

"Hi Harry", Ginny said with a smile, but she didn't stop walking.

"Who was that?" Alice asked, casting a glance over her shoulder on the boy.

"Harry Potter", Ginny said, they walked out on the middle courtyard and stopped by a low willow.

"I recognize him from somewhere", Alice said, glancing over her shoulder once more as if he was following them.

"Yeah, he's bloody famous", Ginny said.

"He is? Why?"

"He's the one who made you-know-who disappear the first time", she said and sat down on a stone bench.

"You-know-who?"

"You know", Ginny said with low voice, "Lord Voldemort." Lord Voldemort?

"Who, the Dark Lord?" Ginny reacted when she referred to him as just that. "Why would he want to kill the Dark Lord?" Alice knew better then to tell the truth in this case, and if anyone found out. She'd deny it to her death.

"He's a mass murderer, Alice", Ginny said. "He's killed loads of people out of nowhere." Out of nowhere? Alice couldn't place it, not at all.

"I need to be alone for a moment", Alice said and quickly left Ginny sitting on the bench. Of course, she was one of them. That only made sense. That she was one of those who'd misunderstood everything. He didn't want everyone dead; he just needed to clean so it could be better. Take away the oppressors so that they could live in a utopia. Everyone known that you have to remove the bad things to come to the good. Remove, dispose, get rid of. That's how it is. _They_ took and destroyed for the rest of them. And if you do so, you need to be stopped. Right?

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"How was class?" Alice looked up from the grass she'd been pulling up.

"Fine I guess", Alice said. "I meet a girl in transfiguration, Ginny Weasley..." Draco shuddered at the name.

"You shouldn't socialize with her, their family is trash. Blood traitors the bunch of them and they've got more children than money", he said, leaning back on his hands. They sat by the lake. It was warm; some were even taking a bath in the Black Lake. Alice and Draco sat by a tree a bit away from the rest of the teenagers. In a place where they couldn't be seen, or heard for that matter.

"She seemed nice", Alice said, shrugging her shoulders. "But she said something that made me think." Draco leaned forward, towards Alice with an expression on his face that told Alice to go on.

"Who's Harry Potter?" Draco wrinkled his nose and snorted.

"A big joke, that's what he is. The chosen one some say. He just a pathetic fraud, if you ask me."

"Is it true he's the one that made dad go away?"

"He's mean too, always picking up for a fight if you take one step in the wrong place", Draco continued, ignoring Alice's question. "Tried to be nice to him you know, but he chose those blood traitor Weasley's and the mudblood Hermione Granger."

"You've got a lot of history with them, haven't you?" Alice looked back at Draco; his eyes were fixed at something on the other side of the lake, at least it looked so. "How did potions go?"

"_Professor_ Slughorn", he said, disgusted. What a joke."

"Why do you do that?" Alice asked, she completely turned her body towards Draco. "Talk down on people?" Draco looked shocked, as if he'd been caught off guard. He didn't say anything either.

"Rumours spread that you're very talented", he finally said. "I know you are, but I wasn't sure they'd notice so fast."

"Just because I don't know many spells doesn't mean I can't use magic", she said with a smile.

"I'm not sure I understand..."

"I can make anything I want; I don't need the words for it." She glanced over at a tree beside them, the leaves started shifting and before they knew it had turned pink.

"That's amazing. You're amazing", he said and smiled at her for what felt like the first time in weeks.

"Alice?" Alice looked up and watched Daphne and Pansy walk towards her. "We've been looking all over for you."

"Have you seen Draco?" Pansy said, outright as always. Alice looked to where Draco had been, he was gone again.

"Um, no", Alice said, surprised over his absence.

"It feels like he's avoiding me", Pansy said before stamping away from the place.

"Don't mind her", Daphne said and sat down beside Alice. "She's just jealous."

"Why?"

"She says Draco's always watching you, not paying any attention on her."

"We've only been here a day", Alice said, filled with scepticism.

"Pansy is very... special."

"Rude", Alice said at the same time. Daphne smiled.

"Yeah, that too." Alice got the feeling that something was watching her and looked around the ground. She couldn't really find anyone that was paying attention at them. She turned to the forest instead, there, by the brink, stood a majestic yet terrifying black horse. The bony figure almost made it look dead, along with the black wings made it look like a nightmare creature. Another, a bit smaller one appeared and they both stood and watched.

"They live here in the forest", Daphne said. They stood up and started walking down the lawn. "They're called thestrals." Alice looked around; it didn't seem as if anyone else paid any attention to them. The Thestral stood as a statue, not enough out of the threes to be hit by the sunlight.

"Hiya", Alice said, and reached out a hand towards the animal. It took a step forward, but didn't go out in the sunlight. Daphne walked in to the shade and the horse-looking animal turned and greeted her with a low, screeching sound.

"They're not very fond of sunlight", Daphne said, while patting it on its head. "How have you seen die?"

"What?" Alice walked over to Daphne and gently toughed the thestrals forehead.

"They can only be seen by those who've seen death", Daphne explained. "My baby sister died when I was eight. She got sick."

"I'm sorry to hear that", Alice said, feeling compassion for her new friend.

"It's alright. She's gone to a better place. Besides, I've got my parents and my other baby sister." Daphne smiled at Alice, to make sure everything really was alright.

"My mum died not a week ago", Alice said. She did still feel sorry and above all guilty. But she would understand, she had to.

"Oh, are you okay?" Alice shrugged her shoulders and focused on the Thestral. Like this, after a while, it was rather beautiful.

"I know we don't exactly know each other very well... But if you need to talk. I'm not going anywhere." Daphne put a hand on Alice's shoulder. They smiled at each other.

"So tell me, is it true? Are you really a Finnish princess?" Alice started laughing, as well did Daphne.

"No, I'm not Finnish and I am certainly not a princess. I haven't got a crown now, do I?" They left the Thestral and headed up for the castle.

"Seriously though, there's a rumour that you are."

"Well, maybe we should get me a crown then!"

"Of course, my Lady!" Daphne stopped as if she just remembered something important. "I almost forgot", she said and picked out a piece of parchment. "Professor Snape asked me to give you this." Alice took the piece of paper and opened it.

_Dear Alice, I hope you enjoyed your first day of school and I would be honored if you would join me this Thursday for a meeting. Professor Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore P.S. I heard your favorite's chocolate fudge cake._

Honoured, ad if her company meant anything. But still, how could she deny an invitation like this?


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you all for reviewing and putting me on your favourite story/story alert. I had 15 emails from after my last chapter and it felt amazing. I usually have around 6-7. So thank you all! :D

I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the last ones have been; but I didn't want to rush thing. So I hope you'll enjoy it! :)

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Chapter 13

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Professor Slughorn turned to face the first class of the day. It was Thursday and professor Slughorn hadn't had the best night of his life.

"Merlin's beard!" he yelped and the paper in his hands flew all over the room. He couldn't help but get a cold feeling down his spine. It was the same girl he'd seen before; she was sweet, but that face and those eyes. Alice picked out her wand, waved with it and the papers lay them self on the desk.

"I'm sorry to have frightened you sir", Alice said.

"Class starts in five, how did you get in?" Alice looked back at the open door.

"Through the door, professor", Alice said with a soft smile at the confused man. She'd heard that if it was someone to get close to, teacher-way at least, it was him.

"Sir, professor Snape wanted me to give you this note before class starts", Alice said and gave him the note. She already knew what was in it; it was about her after all. Professor Slughorn read the paper quickly and smiled at Alice.

"Well, no need to send you out when you're here. Take a seat and I'll go fetch the others", he said and started trotting across the room. Two Slytherin girls, twins in fact, walked over and sat down by Alice's table. They had hard, neutral faces with dark eyes and dark hair. They didn't say anything; neither did they seem especially interested in the class.

"Hi", Alice said, both of them looked at her and then returned to their own thoughts.

"Alright, today I'm going to test you. Now I don't think any of you will succeed in brewing a perfect elixir to Induce Euphoria, but some of you might make a god try", professor Slughorn explained. "You'll find the recopies on side 89. You can all step forward. I've brewed the elixir for you to watch so you know how the end results should be." Since no one else made an attempt to step forward, Alice did so. The smell made her feel good and it had a happy, sun-yellow glow to it.

"I know you haven't made any potions before Alice, but try your best and I'll figure something out so you will pass your OWL in the end of this year", professor Slughorn said encouraging while giving Alice a gentle pat on the shoulder. Alice nodded and returned to her seat. She opened the book at page 89 and started picking out the ingredients. The instructions were vague and after adding the four castor beans it was supposed to take a light peachy colour before turning yellow. Alice's potion still had a dark shine to it. She felt disappointed, a part of her really wanted professor Slughorn to be as impressed with her as the other teachers was. The twin girl beside her had gotten the peachy substance that the recipe described, but Alice was to afraid of asking – the girl scared her a bit. Instead Alice picked out her wand, without anyone seeing, pictured the elixir she had in mind and taped once, lightly at the pot. The rest of the ingredients poured them self in the cauldron and the liquid took its perfect yellow colour. _Nice! _Alice thought, she knew it would work, but still.

"Brilliant Alice!" Professor Slughorn said. Alice hadn't noticed that he'd stopped behind her and had looked down her cauldron. She just smiled a shy smile as everybody in the class was now paying attention at her.

"Thank you sir", she said in a low tone.

.

"That's rubbish Goyle, you _are _going to do this for me", Draco said and gave Goyle a sharp look. "You wouldn't even be here without me", he filled in as a hint to their lack of brain activity.

"But Malfoy..."

"Crabbe I've already told you!" They rounded the corner at the seventh floor and looked up at the empty stone wall. Draco started stepping back and forth alongside the wall.

"Draco?" He didn't turn, even though he knew whose voice it was. "Are you alright?" He stopped at turned at Alice. She looked on the two small girls to their right; how would she know it actually was Crabbe and Goyle.

"Fine", he said.

"I feel like you have been avoiding me", Alice said and took one step towards him.

"I have." He wasn't going to lie, it's not like it was of choice. He needed to figure this out and then he needed to fix everything; she couldn't know.

"Why?"

"Look, I don't have time for you and your concerns right now. Will you please just leave me alone?" He sputtered, looking down on the floor.

"You know what?" He looked up, she was angry. "If you want nothing to do with me, I want nothing to do with you. There's no need for you to speak to me again." She walked passed him and headed for the headmaster's office, her meeting with professor Dumbledore was just minutes away. Draco looked up after her; he knew she was hurt and he knew it wasn't the first time this week he was the cause of it. But it had to be this way, it was best.

"_Chocolate fudge cake", she said and the stone figure stepped aside. She found the stair turning to slow; she wanted to get this over with. The door was open and Alice stepped inside the round room. _

_"Professor?" She noticed a big, flame colored bird sitting on a pedestal next to the desk. It looked at her with its big, dark eyes but didn't do much more._

_"Alice", Alice turned around to face professor Dumbledore. "Please, take a seat", he said showing her to the chair next to the desk. He placed himself at the other side, while gently patting the bird twice._

_"His name is Fawkes, he is a phoenix", Dumbledore explained._

_"He's beautiful", Alice said while trying to remove her gaze from it. _

_"How are you doing Alice?" Alice looked at the old man; he was sitting calmly, looking over his half-moon shaped glasses. "Professor Slughorn was most impressed with you after today's lesion." _

_"It's hard", she started, not really sure what to say. "To fit in." _

_"Well it's only normal for a fifteen year old girl to feel out of place at times." Why did the word __normal__ sting so much? Before she knew it anger built up inside of her._

_"I'm __not __normal", she sputtered. Dumbledore just smiled at her. _

_"Of course you not", he said in the same calm voice as before. "Your very special, indeed." Silence followed between them, Alice felt guilty to have snapped at the old man. _

_"I can speak to snakes too, is that normal for someone like us?" Alice said. She wasn't sure if it was going to frightened him or make him impressed; either way it would be good. He didn't say anything. He just gave Alice a look she couldn't make out herself. _

_"Have you made any friends?" Alice understood that he knew really. _

_"I like Daphne Greengrass", Alice said, confirming what professor Dumbledore had in mind. "She's nice." _

_"And Draco Malfoy?" Alice looked down on her hands._

_"He's not the same; he's not the boy I thought I knew…" _

_"It surprised me when you spoke so fondly of him when we first met", professor Dumbledore said, he watched the young girl before him intensely. "Forgive me, I don't know Mr. Malfoy very well, but the two of you seem so… odd." _

_"I'd already figured out that he'd be different when we got here and all his friends would be around, but I guess…" Alice made a pause, how much did she want to tell this old man? How much could he be trusted? "I guess I didn't want him to change, you know." _

_"He cares for you, don't doubt that." Alice looked up, how could he know anything of that matter? As if he knew what Alice was going to ask he said; "He's been asking the teachers about you, how you're doing." _

_"He has?" She found it hard to believe that, but professor Dumbledore didn't seem like the lying type. _

_"Yes, he's been very protective", professor Dumbledore said. "Could it be because of your father that he is avoiding you?" _

_"M-my father?" Alice stuttered. She couldn't look directly at the old man, how could he know about her father? _

_"Alice, I've been a professor here at Hogwarts for a very long time and I've lived even longer. There's no doubt about you heritage", professor Dumbledore said. He was probably right. Alice felt her chest pound, a redness she didn't want started crawling up her face. "And I've noticed that you are very alike otherwise as well." _

_"We are?" Alice smiled shyly; it felt good knowing she had her father in her. _

_"There's one crucial difference though", Dumbledore looked over his glasses and their eyes met. "Your capability of loving." Loving? Love? What was that supposed to mean? _

_"Before you go Alice I want to remind you of something", he said. "Our free will is one of our greatest weapons. Do only as you please… Daphne is waiting for you." He said and smiled. Alice felt a bit confused, but stood up and exited the room. As professor Dumbledore said; Daphne stood beneath the staircase waiting for her. _


	14. Chapter 14

I hope you all still enjoy reading my story and thank you for the reviews! Let me know if there's something you guys wants to happen or any idea you might have; I can always use everything for something! ;) I feel I've been a bit in a dry period just trying to get to the interesting parts of the story I have in mind. But I hope you can appreciate it anyways. :)

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Chapter 14

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It was raining, like it'd done all day. Alice felt rather bored since Daphne was in class and she had a free period. She was walking down the stairs towards the Great Hall. The corridors were empty; probably because of the poor weather.

"Lucky you remembered to fall on you huge bottom, Longbottom." She recognized that voice too well. A light-haired boy was sitting on his bum in front of what seemed as half the school; Draco was in the front row openly laughing at the poor boy. "Stuffed enough to reduce your fall?" Alice stepped out of the crowd and reached a hand out to him.

"Are you alright?" He took her hand, let her pull him up on his feet and nodded.

"Thank you", he said in a whisper before starting to walk away, leaving all his books and his wand behind. Alice picked them up and hurried after him.

"I'm sorry about that", Alice said and reached him his things. "Draco can be a bit of a dimwit."

"Draco? You know him?" The boy asked. He stopped and sat down on a bench with a plagued expression on his face.

"Well, yes", Alice said and sat down beside him. "I'm Alice."

"Neville", he said with a weak smile. "Why are you nice to me if you know Malfoy well enough to call him by his first name?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Neville shrugged his shoulders and started to put the books in his bag.

"I haven't seen you before..." A group of Slytherin students passed them and laughed out loud while portraying Neville's stumble.

"I just started this year", Alice made a pause, "and I'm in Slytherin as well." Neville's eyes widened and he pushed as far away from her as the bench would allow.

"You are?" He stuttered. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Well, because they were all so rude, I guess." They sat quiet for a moment, it felt a bit uncomfortable. "I'm going to talk to Draco, I'll see you around Neville", she said and stood up.

"Yeah, see you", he said, still a bit in chock. Daphne clutched Alice almost by the Slytherin common room; apparently she'd already heard the news about Alice rescuing Neville.

"What are you so angry about?" Daphne asked while trying to keep up Alice's pace.

"That sodding…" Alice stopped and Daphne accidently walked right in to her. "Lying, back talking idiot!" Draco stopped and looked up at the two girls in front of him; one of them surprised and confused and the other one absolutely furious.

"You", Alice said between her teeth, "have some serious explanations to do."

"What?" He looked over at Daphne for a clarification but received nothing but a shrug of her shoulders and a quick shook with her head.

"I need to… go", Daphne said and quickly disappeared.

"Who are you?" Alice said, clutching her eyes in his.

"Draco Mal…" Alice interrupted him.

"Not your sodding name! Who are you? Who is Draco Malfoy?" He opened his mouth several times but never said anything. He wasn't sure what to answerer.

"You know me…" He tried, but as soon as he'd said it, he knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"No, apparently I don't!" She said in despair. "The Draco I knew would never kick on the laying." Once again he stood with open mouth but without words. "I knew you would be different around your friends. But if it is this, I don't think I can handle it."

"Alice…" He started, but still couldn't get anything out. She waited for him to speak, but when he didn't say anything Alice said it for him;

"I'm going to be honest Draco", she said. "If this is who you are; I don't want to be a part of it." He seemed troubled and distressed; as if something was more wrong then it had been before.

"Maybe your right", Draco said, turned around and walked away.

"You broke his heart", Daphne walked out from her hiding place and leaned against the wall.

"If he has one…" They walked after Draco towards the common room.

"I thought you liked him?" Alice understood Daphne was being careful not to press on a soar nerve.

"I did, or I thought I did", Alice said. She wasn't sure where to place her feelings. She felt hurt, betrayed and confused. "It was a brief moment of misunderstood feelings between us."

"Alice, it's alright if you like him; I mean, he's handsome, smart and for most parts nice", Daphne said, trying to comfort her friend.

"For a moment, yes I thought so too", Alice said. "I've changed my mind."

.

Slytherin and Gryffindor had class together again; this time it was Defense against the Dark Arts. Ginny Weasley actually waved and smiled at Alice, even asked her to come over and _chat_. Alice saw Draco coming down the hallway and made sure not to look at him, at all.

"Draco aren't…" Pansy Parkinson was walking next to him, clinging on to his arm.

"No", he said and before she had the chance to say something else he said "no" again.

"No hi?" Ginny asked, she seemed a bit shocked.

"To who?" Alice asked, acting as if she hadn't seen him.

"Aren't you friends with Draco Malfoy?"

"No", Alice said quickly.

"But…" Alice interrupted her.

"No."

"He…"

"No."

"You…"

"_No._" It looked as if Ginny was giving up.

"I was under the impression you cared for him." Before Alice got the chance to answerer the door swung open and professor Snape stepped outside.

"Get in", he said in his normal, cold tone.

"I don't", Alice whispered as they followed professor Snape into the classroom. Instead of the usual rows of benches the spaced was cleared out.

"Line up on two rows", professor Snape said. No one hesitated for a moment; they lined up in two rows facing each other. "Today we are practicing defensive spells, page 184 in your books which I presume all of you have read until today…"His gaze flew over the room; giving everyone a rather unpleasant feeling of being evaluated thoroughly.

"Now, I will _not _have any unnecessary injuries so I suggest you stick to the milder version of both attacking and protecting spells." Alice stood across to Ginny; which felt comforting.

"Ginny", Alice said looking over at her. "I don't know any attack spells."

"Try _'stupefy'_", Ginny said and prepared herself for Alice's attack. Alice took out her wand and pointed it at Ginny.

"Stupefy!" Alice said and a bright light shot out of her wand.

"Protego!" Ginny said only seconds after and a light blue shield appeared in front of her. Alice was sure it would block her spell out completely but the red beam split for a moment before going through Ginny's protective spell and hitting her in the chest.

"Oh god, Ginny I'm so sorry", Alice said and ran over to the almost unconscious spell. Ginny smiled at her before starting to laugh. "I think you got a bit of it anyway", Alice said.

"Blimey Alice, that was one strong spell", she laughed, probably by the shock. "I thought you said you didn't know any spells."

"I don't, or I didn't. This was the first time", Alice tried to find the right words.

"It's alright, really", Alice helped Ginny on her feet. "Maybe we should go the other way around until I've catch my breath." They stood at opposite ends of the room again; Ginny holding out her wand towards Alice.

"Aren't you going to have your wand ready?"

"I want to try something", Alice said while calmly standing in her place.

"Stupefy!" Ginny said and the bright light came flying towards Alice. Alice put out her hands just in time to capture the light between them and then pushing them together, forcing the spell to disappear.

"Again", Alice said. This felt great, it gave her a warm tickling feeling and it made her heart beat.

"Stupefy!" Ginny launched another attack towards Alice. This time she reached for her wand.

"Protego!" Alice said, she stopped the spell alright. As well as every other spell in the room. Unknowingly she pushed the spells away from herself, making them return in full force on their caster. Even professor Snape fell of his feet and seemed stunned for a moment.

"Um…" Alice didn't know what to say; being the only one standing in the room. "Sorry?" She smiled the sweetest smile she had in herself, flinching with her lashes. Some of them seemed way to mad to ever forgive her; while some of them was smiling back or laughing at the irony of the situation.

"An excellent preformed protective spell miss Gaunt; ten point to Slytherin", professor Snape said and clapped his hands.


	15. Chapter 15

I had some extra time over and finished this chapter rather quick.

Thank you as always for keep reading my story! :)

And special thanks to neocreate and HermioneandMarcus for reviewing!

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Chapter 15

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They'd reached middle of October, winter was coming and it was coming fast. They were only days away from snow. But at the same time it gave the castle a bit of a cosy feeling, with all the flames and the fireplaces lith. Draco was on his way to the library and Blaise Zabini had for some unknown reason chosen to follow him around.

"Blaise, what do you want?" Draco finally asked. They turned the corner and stopped outside the library entrance.

"I'm bored", Blaise said. "You amuse me." Draco turned away from him and walked in to the library. He walked straight through, to the other side of the large room. He'd seen the book he was after before and knew at least which shelf it stood in.

"What are you looking for?" Blaise asked; and Draco, whom was rather tired of his follower just said;

"A book." Draco turned in between the bookshelves. By the window in the far and, at one of the tables she sat. Her long brown hair was pulled in to a braid as most of the time and her beautiful blue eyes were fixed in the paper she was writing. He turned to the books before his mind would drift too far away.

"Who is that girl?" Blaise asked. Draco turned around to see who he was talking about, of course it was her. He ignored Blaise's question. "I've seen you talking to her several times", Blaise said, as if he demanded Draco to answer.

"Yes, I know her", Draco said, still looking after the specific book in the bookshelves.

"And?" Draco turned around to face him again, and thereby also looking over at Alice. He understood why Blaise had got his eyes opened for her.

"She's nothing for you", Draco said.

"Why? Jealous that I might succeed?" Blaise studied Draco's face carefully as he spoke. "Afraid she'll pick _me_ over _you_?" Draco decided to not answer again. "Besides you got Pansy, what do you need her for?"

"Alice is..." Blaise interrupted him.

"Ah! Her name is Alice", he yelped out. "Pretty name for a pretty girl."

"Why is she so interesting suddenly?" Blaise didn't take his eyes away from her, she was stunning. Who wouldn't be interested in her?

Alice looked over at the two boys standing not too far away from her. She got the feeling that they were talking about her. Determined to know what they were saying, and if it actually was about her, Alice stood up, put the books in her bag and walked over to them. They both stood numbed and just starred.

"Hi boys", she said with a shy smile. "It's getting a bit dark and I was just wondering if someone could accompany me back to the common room?" They both straightened up and took one step forward towards her. She couldn't help but to break an amused smile.

"Draco, weren't you looking for that book?" Blaise said, pushing Draco away.

"Well, yes", Draco started and once again he was interrupted.

"Have you found it then?" Draco knew he was beaten. Alice watched Blaise from the corner of her eye as they started walking down the corridor. He was rather beautiful, long, lean and dark, with a proud posture.

"So, are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Blaise asked.

"I wasn't planning on it, no", Alice admitted, even though all of her friends were going there.

"Why, are you busy?" They rounded a corner and walked straight into Pansy Parkinson and a couple of other sixth years Slytherin girls. Pansy watched Alice with disgrace before purposely bumping in to her so that Alice fell right on her bum.

"Watch where you're going!" Pansy said, rubbing her shoulder as if she was hurt. Blaise reached out his hand and helped Alice on her feet. "What are you doing with her, Blaise?"

"Don't let it get out over Alice just because you can't handle the competition, Pansy", he said, putting an arm around Alice's shoulders. Pansy looked as if she'd chocked on something before she grabbed her friends and stomped away from the scene. "Are you alright?" Blaise asked.

"I'm fine, thank you", Alice said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Pansy and her gang wasn't following.

"Would you like to join me for Hogsmeade?" Alice looked up on him, why would he want her company? He was rather handsome though.

"Sure", Alice said, smiling. They rounded the corner and stopped in front of the wall leading in to the Slytherin common room.

"As a date", he added. Alice felt flattered, how could she turn this down?

"Of course", she said and they walked through the wall in to the greenish room. "I'm heading for bed straight away", Alice said and gave Blaise a soft smile.

"Sweet dreams beautiful", Blaise said, kissing her hand but not letting go of her gaze. Redness played across Alice's face and she smiled shyly at the attention. Blaise left her and headed for the group of boys sitting by the fireplace. Alice looked up and her eyes met with Draco's. He just looked at her, without any particular expression and walked with fast steps to the boy's dormitory. Even though she didn't want it; it hurt for just a second in her chest before she pushed that feeling away. They weren't friends anymore. She hadn't got any obligations towards him, _at all. _

.

The Great Hall was full of students; some of them had just got up and for some of them it was their second meal. Alice was one of those whom were having their second meal for the day. She was meting up with Blaise in about one and a half hour before leaving for Hogsmeade.

"Alice", she turned around. "Professor Dumbledore wants to see you in his office", Neville said while trying to catch his breath.

"Okay, thanks", she said and smiled at Neville before leaving the hall and heading for the headmaster's office. The castle felt pretty empty; most of the students were probably lurking around the main entrance in the wait for leaving for Hogsmeade. She walked passed a corner and bumped in to a broad stomach.

"Professor Slughorn", she said. "I'm sorry sir."

"No worries, Alice. Oh by the way, I was wondering if you would be interested in joining for a supper party sometime soon in my office? Select students only of course", professor Slughorn asked with a big smile.

"Absolutely sir", she said and smiled back at him.

"Splendid, my owl will be arriving in a day or two!" He said while walking down the corridor. Alice didn't really have time to take in what just happened; she continued her hasty walk towards professor Dumbledore's office. She stopped before the stone figure; spoke the password and stepped on the spinning staircase. She knocked on the door two times before it opened. Professor Dumbledore was as always sitting behind his desk, with his white hair and calming blue eyes behind the half-moon shaped glasses. He smiled at Alice who sat down before him.

"How are we feeling today?" He asked.

"Good, thank you sir. I'm feeling a bit nervous though", she said.

"Ah, yes. I heard about you date with Mr. Zabini." Dumbledore smiled. "I'm glad you're making friends."

"How's your hand doing, sir?" Alice asked and made a gesture towards his black hand.

"Not too well I'm afraid Alice", professor Dumbledore said. Alice noticed a ring with a black stone lying on the desk; it seemed familiar in some way. She reached out and touched it. Images appeared in her mind. She saw and old, dirty man sitting on a worn armchair, whispering; then she saw her father taking the ring from the old man's weak hand. The name Gaunt appeared in her mind as well. Then she saw her father, placing the ring by and old foundation.

"This was ours", she said before she could stop herself. "It belonged to us."

"What are you talking about Alice?" Anger spread inside of her.

"Did you steal it?" The words didn't come out as Alice had imagined. She spitted out a hissing, snakelike sound while making an outburst towards the old man. Then she put a hand over her mouth and fell back into the chair. She looked up and met his kind eyes.

"I'm not judging you Alice", he said softly. "The name Gaunt is not unfamiliar to me. I presume it's a family name?" Alice felt safe, she could trust this man. He would protect her.

"Yes, I couldn't take fathers name. It would be too obvious", Alice admitted.

"Too many that still remembers it?" Alice nodded.

"You already knew." It was clearly a statement, the questions wasn't needed.

"I knew you were coming; many felt it. And when your mother sent me that letter, forgive me Alice but I knew your mother wasn't married. Then I met you, the resemblance between the two of you is so strong..."

"Do you think anyone else knows?" Dumbledore smiled but shook his head.

"I doubt anyone dares to make that assumption." They sat quiet for a moment. "Do you remember what you told me last time we met?"

"That I can speak to snakes?" He didn't need to say anything for Alice to understand. "Did you understand then already?" He smiled.

"I'm not going to keep you any longer Alice", he said and picked up a small piece of parchment. "Make sure Harry Potter get's this." Alice took the parchment and left the room. She thought about what professor Dumbledore had said. Could it really be true? She walked down the stairs and somewhere in the crowd she saw a redhead and prayed that it would be Ginny.

"Ginny!" She called over the mass of heads. "Will you give this to Harry Potter?" Ginny took the parchment and nodded. She didn't get the chance to say anything before Alice was off again.

"Alice!" Alice kept walking. It was a bit early, she knew that. But she didn't want to have to wait the long line later on. Everybody was getting searched before leaving and before entering the castle; it had something to do with the new security – Alice hadn't paid much attention when the teachers had spoken of it.

"Alice?" Draco grabbed her arm and made her turn facing him.

"I'm not speaking to you", Alice said and tried to walk away from him. She knew that if he had the chance to really look at her with those grey eyes of his; she wouldn't be able to resist.

"I'm sorry", he said after her. She stopped, but didn't turn to look at him.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade?" Even if he was, she wouldn't be able to see him anyway. She was going with Blaise.

"No, I... I have detention with professor McGonagall." He was ashamed of that fact; no doubt about it. Alice now turned to face him, she felt sorry for him.

"Are you alright?" She asked and took one step closer to him. He reached out, took the piece of hair that was laying out of its place and pushed it out of her face, gently stroking her cheek before letting his hand fall down to his side again.

"Blaise is waiting for you", he said with a forced smile. Alice glanced over her shoulder; Blaise was standing a few meters away, leaning against a pillar not far from the main entrance. Alice looked back at Draco; or where Draco had been. He was gone again.


	16. Chapter 16

Yes! Finally chapter 16 is out. I hope you'll like it. I've never been on a date (we don't really date in Sweden), so I hope it turned out alright! ;)

Thank you as always for the reviews and special thanks to Angel9999, a very dear friend of mine whom been helping me irl! (Check her out sometime, I hope she'll post her awesome story sometime soon on fanfic too!)

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Chapter 16

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"Are you ready?" Alice took Blaise's arm and they threw themselves out on the road to Hogsmeade. It wasn't a very pleasant walk, the wind and snow hit them hard and tried to scratch up their faces. Alice buttoned the last button on her coat and looked down on the ground to not get snow in her eyes.

"Where do you want to go first?" Blaise yelled over the howling wind.

"I've never been to Hogsmeade", Alice reminded him. The outlines of the village appeared in the distance. They didn't speak much on the rest of the way – like everybody else; they were just trying to get there. The wind seemed to decrease as the approached the village. Blaise pulled Alice in to a brightly coloured shop full of all sorts of sweets. The shop was crowded, half the school was probably there. Alice unbuttoned her coat a bit and let the warm air fill her.

"They have everything in here", Blaise said and picked down a box of different coloured candy beans.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour bean", Alice read on the box.

"You should really try them", Blaise said and gave her the box. "But be careful though, they really have every flavour possible." They walked over to the far wall, nest to the counter where the chocolate were. Alice looked to her left; professor Slughorn was standing by the shelves and picked out a box of crystallized pineapples.

"Let's get some fudge and get out of here", Blaise said and reached for the fudge on the top shelf.

"Oh, Alice how wonderful to see you again!" Professor Slughorn said. "And Blaise", he added with a pleased smile.

"Professor Slughorn", Alice greeted him.

"Be sure to bring Blaise with you on that supper we spoke about earlier!"

"Of course sir", Alice said and professor Slughorn left laughing for the counter. Blaise followed him, paid for their sweets and they left the crowded shop. They walked passed Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, a pretty place full of Hogwarts students drinking tea and holding hands.

"Uh", Alice said and shrugged at the thought of even setting a foot in there.

"Yeah, that place's quite tacky", Blaise said and took Alice's hand. "Let's go to the Three Broomsticks Inn." They walked across the street in to the cosy inn. It was a bit crowded, just as Honeydukes. Blaise took her to one of the booths by the fireplace.

"Two butterbeers, please", Blaise said when a curvy woman with a rather pretty face came up to them. She left quickly as if she was afraid some of them might hex her.

"So I've heard you live with the Malfoys?" Blaise asked.

"Yeah, I haven't really got anywhere else to go", Alice said honestly.

"What about your parents?" The pretty lady came back and gave them two glasses of a honey coloured liquid.

"Mum's gone and dad... Well he moves around a lot", Alice said and tasted the drink. "How about you then?"

"I live with my mum near Birmingham", he said. "My dad's gone but mum's remarried a few times."

"No siblings?" Blaise shook his head and they sat quiet for a moment.

"I have to ask you about Draco", Blaise said, he'd been sucking on the question for a while. That much was obvious.

"What about him?"

"What's your relation with him?" Blaise starred at his still full glass. "I mean, are you in love with him?" Alice reacted at the question; why would anyone think that?

"No, Blaise, I'm not in love with him. We were friends, but I'm not sure anymore."

"I just had to ask; after that fight yesterday..."

"What fight?" Alice interrupted him.

"The one Draco and Pansy had, about you", he said. "I thought he'd told you about that?"

"We barley talk anymore... Wait, they we're fighting about me? Why?"

"You know Pansy, she's..." Blaise struggled to find the right word.

"Wrecked psycho?" Blaise smiled and maybe even laughed a bit. "I knew it!" Alice said loud and smiled.

"Knew what?" Blaise had returned to his normal, damped state.

"That you could smile; Daphne doubted it", Alice said, still smiling brightly at him. He couldn't help but to crack another smile.

"Do you know why I asked you out?" Alice took another sip of her butterbeer.

"No", she said. "Why?"

"Because you're beautiful and so carefree", he said and smiled. This time it was another kind of smile. "You're not like the others." Alice wasn't used to being complimented like this and just smiled shyly at him. She now noticed that they were sitting closer together than before.

"It doesn't matter to you", he said, reached out and touched her cheek with the tip of his fingers. She didn't know what he meant by that. And she didn't want to ruin the moment either.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked, looking her straight in the eyes. She nodded lightly.

"Yes", she whispered. Blaise closed the distance between them and caught up her lips with his. It wasn't exactly like Alice imagined it, but close to it. It gave her a good warm feeling in the body that spread quickly. Blaise moved his hand to around her neck and took hold of her hands with the other one. Even though no one probably cared to notice them Alice pulled out of the kiss just in case someone would care.

"Sorry", she said, looking down and gave him an embarrassed smile.

"For what?" He placed a hand under her chin and tilted her head up again. Once again he smiled that special smile towards her. "I wouldn't believe you've never kissed anyone before, it was perfect."

"How'd you know?" Blaise straightened up.

"Draco told me", he said and looked away from her. A brief moment of awkward silence struck them. Alice couldn't stand it. Neither the silence nor the awkwardness of bringing Draco in to the conversation.

"I've got to go to the loo", Alice said and stood up.

"Let's get out of here after that; we can go somewhere else here in Hogsmeade if you'd like?" Blaise said and stood up as well.

"I'd love to", Alice said and left for the lavatory. The sign for girls were at a dark door near the bar. As Alice stepped in the pretty woman who'd served them the drink made an outburst towards her. Alice took several steps back and didn't stop until she hit the wall behind her. Instinctively she pulled out her wand and waved it towards the woman so that she instead flew back in the opposite wall, falling down in a sitting position. Alice took the chance to flee; she stepped over the woman and walked out in to the serving room again. Blaise stood with his back towards her. She looked past him; there by a table in the middle of the room sat that boy Harry Potter with a red-haired boy and a pretty girl with a brig brown mane.

"Who are they?" Blaise jerked by the unexpected question but soon turned to her with a smile.

"People who believe they are something", Blaise said and gave Alice her jacket and her scarf. "The red-haired one is Ron Weasley and the other one is the mudblood Hermione Granger."

"Why do you think some muggles get magical abilities?" Alice asked. "I mean, why do you think there are mudbloods?" They stepped out from the warm inn and out in the snow. It had pretty much stopped snowing and the wind slowing.

"Some think they've stolen their magic from someone that's magical born and that's why there are Squibs, but I'm not sure", Blaise said and took her hand. "We are after all superior to the muggles so it would be rather unlikely for a muggle to take the witches or wizards magic, don't you think?"

"I guess", Alice said. "What's a squib?" The wind was increasing again. Then a scream sounded trough the landscape. They both turned back only to see a girl, hanging in the air, she was screaming constantly. And then someone else started to scream. Alice could see shapes of others standing close by to the floating, screaming girl. All the sudden, the girl fell to the ground.

"Let's go", Blaise said and pulled Alice away from the scene. Alice couldn't find any words. That girl had been cursed, by something real nasty. Even Alice could figure that out.

"Professor Hagrid", Blaise suddenly said. Alice looked forward again. The abnormally large professor and gamekeeper stopped beside them.

"Zabini, Gaunt", he nodded towards them. Alice had only had a couple of lesions with him and besides his enormous size he was rather alright.

"Someone's been hurt, down the road", Blaise said and Hagrid lumbered with haste down the road. "Hopefully he'll be able to help her, even if I doubt it." Alice chose to not say anything. They hurried back to school, mostly to get out of the bad weather.

"I've got to go and do something. Meet me by the Great hall in fifteen minutes?"

"Okay", Blaise said, leaned towards her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Alice turned and ran up the stone stairs. She turned right and knocked on professor McGonagall's office door.

"Come in", she heard from inside.

"Professor McGonagall", Alice said in haste. Professor McGonagall stood up from behind her desk.

"Yes Miss Gaunt?"

"Someone from Gryffindor's been cursed, I think. She had a yellow and red scarf", Alice said in one breath.

"Where is she then?" Professor McGonagall stepped forward to Alice.

"Hagrid..." Professor McGonagall stormed out of the room.

"Thank you Alice!" She said in high voice while walking quickly down the corridor. Alice started walking down the corridor, after professor McGonagall and towards the Great Hall.

"They're all strutting around her like she was something special. Even Daphne is following her like a dog." Alice recognized that voice to well. It was coming from one of the classrooms nearby. "No wonder Draco chose not to be with her. Apparently she tried to manipulate him." Alice took out her wand and put a hand on the doorknob.

"I've also heard she's hexing people to like her. No wonder, who'd like her if she didn't? She so ugly and..." Alice threw the door opened.

"Enough! Lies about me will not make you a better person!" Alice said loudly. Pansy's eyes widened and she almost fell of her chair.


	17. Chapter 17

I know this is a far too short update for taking this long, but I've been rather busy this week and hope you'll forgive me for it. I'm trying to do as much research to make the story fit in with the original one. And I do hope you will see the references I am making as we go, they are of importance to this story and its plot. Thank you as always for continuing reading and reviewing!

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Chapter 17

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Pansy Parkinson yelled the loudest she could. It wasn't a yell out of joy or happiness, but of true horror. Alice ran after her with her wand raised, shooting spells after the running girl.

"Stop and face me you coward!" Alice screamed after her. She wasn't sure what would happen if any of her spells would actually hit Pansy, only that they would hurt her. The corridors were starting to fill up because of the rumble they were making. Pansy tried shooting a curse back at Alice, but it hit a boy to their left instead who instantly started puking. They came to a dead end. Correctly; they came down to the main entrance and the Great Hall. Students and teachers were blocking all ways out of there. Alice remembered what her father had told her. Feel it, they deserve it; she deserved it. She didn't have to say anything, Alice just pointed her wand at Pansy and she fell down on the floor, twitching and screaming. Alice felt the hate and the anger rise inside of her.

"Alice! Alice!" She heard them screaming. "Snap out of it!" The voice was getting closer. Pansy was still lying on the floor, screaming out in pain. It was like Alice was in a trance; she couldn't stop nor could she move.

"Alice what are you doing?" She regained some of her focus and looked to her right, still with her wand pointing at Pansy. "Stop it", Neville said. His voice was calm and when he reached out and touched her shoulder her body went heavy and she began coming together, falling down on the floor. For a second; everything went black. She felt regret and anger. Hatred, for someone or something. Pansy was still screaming in the background.

"What happened to her?" Alice couldn't open her eyes. She didn't need to either; she knew what was happening anyway.

"I don't know, I just got here", Neville said. Alice felt a pair of warm hands lifting her upper body up. "We have to take her to the hospital, Pansy Parkinson as well."

"Let go of her Draco and go take care of your girlfriend instead", Blaise said with a cold tone. Suddenly Alice felt like she could breathe again. She inhaled deep and quickly. She opened her eyes just in time to se Blaise push Draco away so that he fell backwards from his squatting position to fall on his bum. All the faces, they were all looking at her. It couldn't be; they couldn't recognize her like this.

"Alice, may I have a word with you?" Professor Slughorn had stepped out of the crowd, standing not two feet away from Alice. "In my office." Neville helped Alice up since Blaise was busy staring with hate at Draco.

"Yes sir, of course", Alice said. "Thank you Neville." Alice followed professor Slughorn passed all the students, who were giving Alice suspicious looks. When Alice was sure professor Slughorn wasn't looking, she pointed her wand at the students. She knew by the expression of their faces that she'd manage to change their memories. Most of them would just think the two girls had just fought. Pansy would remember, so would Draco and Blaise. Perhaps Neville, if he dared to. The clusters of students started to disband, returning to their own chores. Alice followed professor Slughorn in silence all the way to the sixth floor and his office. It was rather big, but still had a cosy feeling to it. They stepped over the floor to the far end by the fireplace where the desk stood. Professor Slughorn signed to Alice to take a seat while he was fetching two glasses and a bottle of butterbeer.

"May I ask you something Alice?" He poured the liquid in the glasses and reached one of them to Alice.

"Anything sir", Alice said and took the drink.

"What do you know about the Dark Arts?" Professor Slughorn sat down in his chair on the other side of the desk.

"Not much I can tell you, sir. Mostly what I've learned in Defense against the Dark Arts class with professor Snape sir", Alice said and sipped on her butterbeer. "Professor, how do I know what magic is a part of the Dark Arts?"

"There are many kinds of magic, some better than others. It's not always easy to separate them. But most of the dark magic is about using or hurting other to benefit for yourself", professor Slughorn said. He gave Alice a concerned look.

"What about the Imperius curse? Or the Cruciatus curse, sir?"

"Blimey Alice! Have your parents taught you nothing?" He leaned on his elbow on the arm of the chair. "Do you know what curse you used at Pansy Parkinson?"

"No, not quite sir", Alice said and put down the empty glass on his desk. "Professor, it was as if it wasn't me. I couldn't control myself. I wanted to hurt her, much more than I did, sir."

"Alice, it looked like you used the Cruciatus curse on her. It's forbidden, don't you know that?"

"No professor, my father told me to use it. On the ones that deserve it. Like mudbloods and blood traitors."

"Merlin's beard! What are you speaking about?" What surprised him the most was that Alice seemed chocked over his reaction. "Alice, those are foul things to say!"

"I'm sorry sir", she said in her most innocent tone. "Did I say something wrong?" Professor Slughorn said nothing; he just stared at the full glass in his hands.

"Professor I've lived isolated from this world until this summer. My mother told me nothing about it and my father barley never has time for me, sir. Some people tell me one thing and in the next minute someone else tells me differently. It is very confusing, this you must understand, sir?" Professor Slughorn finally looked up on the girl sitting in front of him with a smile. She tried not to smile over her success of deluding the old man.

"Do you like reading Alice?" He stood up and turned to his bookshelf at the right.

"I do sir, very much." Professor Slughorn picked down an old book from the top shelf and reached it over to Alice. "I know it might seem a bit silly, asking you to read childrens stories, but I think you might get found of it." Alice looked down on the cover; _The tales of Beedle the Bard._ Alice had never heard of it, but by the looks of it, she was sure it would be enjoyable.

"Thank you, sir", Alice said with a soft smile.

"I hope it will change your mind about things", professor Slughorn said. "I must tell you though, it is written in very old English. If you struggle with it, just come by my office and I'll see if I can help out", he continued. "Now off you go, I don't want to take all of you time on the weekend like this."

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Blaise stood tall outside the girls' dormitory, waiting for his date for the evening. They'd had been invited to supper in professor Slughorn's office. Blaise started to lose his patient and knocked at the door.

"Alice, are you ready?" The door opened and Alice smiled brightly at him.

"I'd lost track of my stockings, but I found them", she said and closed the door behind her.

"Well, I guess it was worth the wait. You look stunning", he said and kissed her on the cheek. Alice opened her bag and took out a jumper; the castle was feeling rather cold. Daphne had helped her do an invisible extension spell on it, so she wouldn't need to go carrying around a suitcase for all the things she wanted with her all time. As they walked across the common room Alice felt the looks from the other girls burning in her back whilst most of the boys were giving her an appreciated smile. She'd noticed some of these looks recently, especially since her date with Blaise not two days ago.

"Why are they all looking at us?" she whispered as they left the room and headed upstairs towards professor Slughorn's office.

"They're looking at you", he said with a smirk. "The best thing is; they know they'll never have you." He took Alice's hand and smiled at her. The two twin girls from Alice's year walked about half a stair before them. Blaise didn't seem to care too much about them and neither did Alice; they still frightened her a bit with their identical blank stare and neutral faces. They almost seemed as dolls, walking the same way, acting the same way and always being together. When they walked through the door in to professor Slughorn's office, professor Slughorn barley said hello to the two twins and made his way directly to Alice and Blaise. A fair few students were already there, among them Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's mudblood friend.

"Alice, Blaise how good to see you!" He shook both of their hands. "Both showing class in such fine outfits. Good, keeping the standard high." He himself wore a dark blue, velvet robe with a matching hat that covered the most of his bald spot.

"We brought you something sir", Alice said and reached in to her overly enlarged handbag. "As a token of appreciation for this lovely supper party." Alice reached over the box of crystallized pineapples.

"Oh, wonderful Alice! These are my favorites, how did you know?" he said in delight and Alice put on her most faithful smile.

"Intuition", she said and made a small shrug with her shoulders. Professor Slughorn's face went blank for a moment before he laughed again. "Do you mind Blaise? I wish to have a moment alone with professor Slughorn." Blaise smiled at her and made his way to the other side of the room, where they served drinks and appetizers.

"Have you had any time to read the book I gave you?" Professor Slughorn said while opening the box of pineapples and taking a piece.

"I have sir, only one of the stories though, sir. I must say I found it thrilling! Are these based on true events, sir?"

"Rumors are that some of them are true, but then again; what doesn't make a childrens story more fascinating than the unknowing facts of its heritage?" Professor Slughorn laughed. "Which one of the stories have you read?"

"The tale of the Three Brothers, sir", Alice said. "Wouldn't it be intriguing though? Knowing there's a way to cheat death?"

"Death is a natural part of life, another step of the journey. Not something one would seek to avoid", professor Slughorn said, leaving the subject. Instead he took Alice and introduced her to the other students and some famous athlete named Gwenog Jones. To her joy, both Ginny and Neville where there. Neville was cheerful as always; whilst Ginny seemed to be in a damped, sad mood and didn't say much at all. It was hard to make both Blaise and Neville have a civilized conversation with each other. Blaise looked at her or over Neville's head and Neville looked down on the floor most of the time. The gap between them had never been more obvious. Where there really that big a difference between the two?


	18. Chapter 18

So, I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Because this one I really did. I had to do a lot of thinking to make everything come together but I think I managed to do so. Thank you for the reviews and you new readers that pit me on your story alert!

Chapter 18

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"Alice, stop obsessing over that book you have class!" Daphne took the book out of Alice's hands. Alice gave her an angry look and then stood up.

"Is it true, you think? That we are the superior race?" Alice asked and took her boom back, putting it in her bag. "Don't you think it's strange? That muggles exist?"

"I guess, I haven't really thought about it", Daphne said, she looked confused. "We are superior though, isn't that obvious?"

"No. I mean, I can't see it", Alice said. Daphne looked worried.

"Well, we can do a lot of things that they can't", Daphne tried to explain. "If they were as good as us, don't you think they would have some special ability as well?" Alice decided to let it go; she wasn't getting any wiser from the conversation.

"Where's Blaise?" Alice looked around in the room. A fair few of the sixth years were missing.

"Quidditch practise", Daphne said, leading Alice out of the common room.

"What now?" They started walking towards the main entrance; Alice had Care of Magical Creatures class in a moment and Daphne had a free period.

"Qudditch, it's a game. You fly on broomsticks with balls going all over the place", Daphne said while gesticulating.

"Oh, yeah, the one where you score by catching that golden thing!" Alice said in delight.

"The Golden Snitch", Daphne said with a smile.

"Right", Alice said, still as happy as before. They looked out one of the windows by the main entrance; it looked like a blizzard outside.

"Sorry Alice, but I'm not following you in that. We'll catch up later?"

"Of course, I'll see you later Daph", Alice said, waving her off before hoping out in the snowstorm. The walk down to Hagrids' hut was rather unpleasant. Alice tried to cover the most part of her face with her scarf, but the wind was blowing so hard she even had trouble controlling her own arms. Once down to her destination Alice saw she was one of the few who'd actually managed or bothered to come there.

"Gather round", professor Hagrid said and waved his arms towards the small crowd of students, signalling them to come closer. "We're takin' a trip in to the forest today!" He said overjoyed and started walking into the forest. She walked next to Harper, a dark boy in her house. She hadn't really spoken to him before. But to chose between a group of Hufflepuff girls and Harper wasn't hard. Although they recognized each other's presence they did not speak.

As they'd walked for a few minutes the harsh wind was almost gone and the ground lay bare of snow. Hagrid stopped by a grove, Alice looked around his massive body and to her delight she saw a group of very familiar creatures. She rather enjoyed Hagrids lesions; they were mostly relaxing and she didn't mind getting out of the classrooms once in a while.

"Well, we aren't that many today but I still wanted to show you these fantastic creatures!" He said in excitement and held out his arms towards the Thestrals behind him.

"There's nothing there?" A short, blond Hufflepuff girl said.

"Has he gone mad?" she heard another of them speak.

"Either you're stupid or just blind. They're standing right over there", Harper said and stretched out his arm towards the black horse-alike creatures.

"No need to fight. Thestrals, as they are called, can only be seen by those who've seen death", Hagrid said, trying to take away the tension. Alice didn't really feel like fighting over something so stupid either, she walked passed Hagrid and greeted the Thestrals that curiously nosed at her. Harper walked up next to her, but held his distance to the Thestrals.

"Now, so even if you can't see them there's always useful information to know..." Alice stopped listening to Hagrid and patted one of the younger ones on the side of its face.

"My mum died a couple of years ago", Harper said and finally found courage to let one of them come to him. "Got a bit of a shock when I came back after summer to see the carriage being pulled by these."

"They're a bit odd. But I like them", Alice said without letting the Thestral out of her sight. "My mum passed away recently", she added and looked at him. A Thestral next to the one she'd been patting gently nudged her on the arm. She turned to it and it put five or six hairs in her hands.

"Thank you", she said, smiled and patted that one as well to show her appreciation.

"What did it give you?" Alice turned back to Harper and held out her hand with the hair. "What can you do with those?" Alice shrugged but smiled.

"Something amazing hopefully", she said and made a knot on them before putting them in her inner pocket.

"Is it true you and Blaise Zabini are going out?" Alice raised an eyebrow towards him.

"Why do you ask?" She said. Hagrid and the Hufflepuff students were having an intense conversation and didn't pay much attention to the two Slytherins' standing not ten feet away.

"Well some of the guys were talking back in the common room, how it's nice with a fresh breeze", he said and looked his most innocent. "Some might have mentioned that they were going to ask you out..."

"I am", Alice said to answer his previous question. "With Blaise." She filled in.

"Oh, okay. Some of the boys are going to be disappointed", he said and smiled at her. The wind started interloping between the dense wall of trees as well.

"Class dismissed", Hagrid said and closed his coat tight around himself. "You've to get back to the castle before we blow away." They walked together up to Hagrids hut where the blizzard had gone out of proportion. Harper went in to Hagrids for a moment, and came out with a bag and a broom.

"Are you on the team?" Alice asked and pointed at the broomstick.

"No, I'm substituting as seeker for Draco Malfoy", he said and put it over his shoulder before they started walking.

"Draco? Why isn't he playing?" Alice had to yell to overcome the howling wind.

"Don't know. Said he was sick, looked that way as well", Harper said. Alice didn't say anything. Sick? She hadn't seen him for almost a week, except for very uncomfortable looks across rooms.

"This is mad", Alice said and stopped. It didn't feel like they had moved a foot from Hagrids hut. "Take my hand." Harper looked sceptic before he took her hand. Alice snapped with her fingers and with a bam they landed right inside the main entrance.

"How'd you do that?" He asked. Alice looked at him, unsure of what he meant.

"Do what?" She asked and started walking down the corridor.

"Apparate, here in Hogwarts", he said and ran to her. "You're not supposed to be able to do that", he said.

"I didn't know, I just did it", she said. She'd never had problem Disapparate anywhere, why wouldn't she be able to do it her? Ever since their house-elf Gary had shown her how to; she'd done it. Well, not for unnecessary purposes. Only when she needed to, like now, with the blizzard.

"I'm going to go and find Blaise", Alice said and smiled at Harper. He smiled brightly back and waved her good-bye. Blaise was probably in the library; he did a lot of studying there now these days. Besides, Alice wanted to see if she could find some information about Thestral hairs. She walked after Harper up the stairs. A group of first year Rawenclaws walked down the stairs, Harper walked straight through the group, making some of them fall over. It seemed odd; he'd been so nice to Alice. Why would he act like that now?

Alice put the thought in the back of her head as she made her way to the library. She walked over to the section for books of magical creatures and looked over the titles. Most of them were dull and simply wrong. She couldn't look through all of them either.

"Excuse me", Alice said when madam Pince walked passed. The old woman raised an eyebrow towards her.

"I was wondering if you could help me find a book, madam?" Alice said and put on a gentle smile.

"What are you looking for?" She said harshly.

"Well, professor Hagrid gave us an assignment to write about Thestrals and the use of their hairs, ma'am," Alice said in her most innocent voice.

"Don't think you'll find any of these books here. They're in the restricted section. Come back when you have a signature from Hagrid", madam Pince said and stared walking away. Alice picked up a piece of parchment, took out her wand and taped it once on the paper. Hagrids handwriting, telling whoever read it that Alice had permission entering the restricted section appeared.

"Ma'am! Excuse me, I have it already", Alice said, walked up to madam Pince and handed over the paper.

"Oh", she said and put down the books she had in her hands. "Well of course, give me one minute and I'll bring you some books."

"Thank you", Alice said. She'd seen Daphne and Blaise in the corner of her eye and made her way over to them. They were both deeply in the books in front of them while writing on an assignment they had. Alice cleared her throat and smiled when both of them looked up.

"Make room for one more?" She said and out down her bag beside the empty chair. They pushed the books to the sides on the overcrowded table.

"What are you writing?" Alice sat down beside Blaise.

"Transfiguration, we have a paper about human transformations", Blaise said before he put his nose down one of the books again. Madam Pince came running with a pile of books that went over her head and put them down before Alice with joy. It was if she'd never been more excited about giving a student the books they were looking for.

.

"Ah, Alice, please come in", professor Dumbledore said. "I think we are making these meetings a bit of a habit." Alice smiled at him and sat down before his desk, as always.

"I heard about your incident with Miss Parkinson last weekend", he said, his face showed no emotions. "Professor Slughorn told me about your conversation."

"You must understand professor; I did not mean to hurt her. I just..."

"Ah", he interrupted her. "You just... I'm not going to bark at you. We both know just how wrong you did. However it is my duty as headmaster to give you a warning. If anything like this would happen again I fear you might just get expelled." Alice looked down on her hands.

"I'm sorry, sir", she said, still not looking up on him.

"Never mind Alice, let's move forward", he said and she dared once again to look at him. His face was calm and his blue eyes looked at her without fear or disgust.

"I've meant to ask you something sir", she said. "You see the other day at professor Hagrids lesion something rather odd happened." She made a pause. "We were learning about Thestrals and paid them a visit down the forest. As we were standing there admiring the creatures one of them came to me and presented a gift. Six pieced of hair from its tail." Professor Dumbledore still didn't say anything. He just sat quiet, listening to the interesting story Alice was giving him. "So I went to the library, trying to find anything about what to do with the hairs."

"Did you find something?" Professor Dumbledore asked when she didn't speak.

"Not more than speculations", she said and gave him a weak smile. "Apparently rumour has it; the tail hair of a Thestral can be used as the core in a wand. Although, only one wand having used this substance as the core is known."

"What was this wand?"

"Well in had many names you see sir", she said, exhilarated that he seemed as fascinated as she was. "But many of the books kept referring back to a very specific tale, the one about the Three Brothers in The Tales of Beetle the Bard. The Deathly Hallows was also mentioned."

"You believe that the wand Death gave to Antioch Peverell had Thestral tail hair as core", professor Dumbledore said.

"Yes", Alice said, she leaned in and continue to speak; "So I started looking on history in the Wizarding world, especially here in Europe. Abnormal and unexplainable incidents accrue over the centuries and all of them refer to this one thing; the troublemaker seems to be invincible in duelling. Just as in the story, the wand Death gave away is said to be the most powerful wand ever made and that it would make the owner undefeatable. But just as in the story the owner in one way or another killed and the wand disappears for some years."

"What did you find out?" Alice smiled at the man, not her usual innocent smile. But the smile of knowing she was interesting and at the same time almost frightening him.

"Well, the last mentioned owner of this 'wand of destiny' is supposed to have been Gellert Grindewald. I asked Daphne about it; she said you're the one that defeated him which also would make _you _the owner of the Elder wand." Alice noticed how his hand twitched towards his wand that lay on his desk.

"If you believe in such speculations and stories I suppose I would", professor Dumbledore said. "But remember Alice, they are not more than speculations. There is no proof of any of the Deathly Hallows exist more than in that childrens story of the Three Brothers." Alice said quiet for a moment; she was convinced that the Deathly Hallows did exists, nothing professor Dumbledore said could change her mind about it.

"Let's say they do. Just for the facts of it. If I decided to make a wand out if one of the hairs I was given, do you believe it would be as powerful as the Elder wand is said to be?" Alice asked. "Would the owner of it be invincible in wizard duelling as Antioch Peverell was in the story?"

"No, I don't think so Alice. I do not doubt that it would make a powerful wand but as it is with all magic. The owner possesses the power, not the object that directs it", he said. Alice felt disappointed. But of course, a wand made by death. I would need that something as powerful made it.

"Alice, don't fixate your life on these Deathly Hallows. I knew a man who did and it didn't end well for him", professor Dumbledore said.

"What happened to him?" Alice asked.

"Well, even in his wisdom he could be naive and make mistakes that had greater consequences than anyone dares to admit", he said with a soft smile. "Let's just say; it's not optimal to fixate your life over guesses and speculations of what might happen." They say quiet for a moment. Alice wasn't going to fixate her life over these objects; she would just make it a part time hobby on the side.

"How long did it take you to figure all of this out?"

"Well, I started reading up on Thestral hairs the day before yesterday", Alice said and shrugged her shoulders.

"Three days and you figured all of this out? Impressive."


	19. Chapter 19

I'm leaving for London in the morning so I won't be able to update for a while. But I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter as I'm gone and hopefully it won't take too long for me to write the next one when I get home. :)

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Chapter 19

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"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you like this. But I was wondering if there was something I could ask you?" They were walking down the lawns towards the Quidditch pitch for today's game; Slytherin vs. Gryffindor.

"I'm always interested to hear what you might have to ask Alice", professor Slughorn said and smiled at her.

"Well, I was wondering about wands... and the making of them", Alice said, she made sure no one was close enough to overhear their conversation.

"I'm no expert in the area, but ask away and I'll see what I know."

"You see I came across something rare a few days ago and I read that its use is often in wands. So I was wondering; would it be possible for me to create a wand out of this material?" Alice looked at the old man; he seemed troubled in some way.

"Making wands is a very hard and long process, I myself would leave it to those who are experts but I suppose that it wouldn't be impossible to make one yourself", he finally said, but still with the same worried expression.

"So, let's say I would hand this material over to a wand-maker, he would actually be able to make me a wand out of it?"

"Nothing can I can be sure of Alice, I don't know that much about wands. But I would say that is your best chance", he said and smiled at her.

"Thank you sir", Alice said and turned to find Daphne whom she knew was walking just a few feet behind her.

"You're not still obsessing over those Thestral hairs, are you?" Daphne said as soon as Alice by her side.

"I was just asking him about Wandlore", Alice said, trying to play innocent.

"Well, I hope you did not bring any of those books to the game. Blaise really wants to impress you", Daphne said giving Alice a smile and a gentle nudge on the shoulder. "He's good."

"I don't doubt it", Alice said, trying to defend herself. She was still wondering why Draco called in sick. She'd seen him at breakfast that very morning; yes, he'd been sitting by himself but he hadn't really looked sick. "And no, I haven't brought any of the books. I'm not going to read a single book this entire weekend!" Daphne looked proud as they entered the Quidditch pitch and started walking up all the stairs to the Slytherin cheering squad.

The game didn't end well. Gryffindor won; 190 to zero. Daphne and Alice met up with a rather annoyed Blaise outside the Slytherin locker room; he wasn't just annoyed at the results. But at himself and at the team as well.

"Don't mind, Blaise, you did great", Alice tried to cheer him up.

"Great? I didn't score one single goal!" It was unusual for him to let his emotions out like this.

"Well, you looked good anyways", Alice said, she felt a bit damped by the sour mood that lingered in the air. Blaise leaned in to her, took her hand and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you", he said and gave her a warm smile. Something was definitely off with him today. A group of cheering Gryffindor passed them, which made it all even worse. Why'd they have to win? Harper had been so close to catch the snitch.

"This is so dull", Alice said with a sigh. "I don't feel like moping down in the common room with the rest of them."

"Neither do I", Blaise and Daphne said as one. The three of them cracked up in a bright smile and laughed at the irony.

"How do you feel about taking a road trip?" Alice said enlightened of the new mood.

"A what now?" Blaise asked.

"Where to? We can't even go to Hogsmeade anymore", Daphne said. They both stopped and looked at Alice. She started pulling in her hair, making in it to a braid.

"What?" She said, looking innocent. "A girl has her ways", she said with a satisfied smile. They stayed walking towards the castle again.

"I just need to do one thing before we leave", Alice said as they walked downstairs to the dungeons. Although it was October, the weather felt nice and warm. Which meant that the dungeons also felt warm, warmer than usual that will say. They entered the common room that was full of disappointed and grumpy students. Alice gaze searched the room; she couldn't find what she was looking for.

"One moment", Alice said and walked over to Crabbe and Goyle that stood alone, looking rather confused and lost in the crowd.

"Hi Alice", Crabbe said and tried to give her a gentle smile; instead his face just went twisted and it gave him a sort of sad expression.

"Hi boys", she said and smiled back. "Have you seen Draco?" The exchanged looks as if they were having a silent fight.

"I'd think he would want us to..." Crabbe started, but Goyle silenced him by putting his large fist over Crabbe's mouth.

"He said no one!" Goyle insisted. Crabbe gave him _the look_ and Goyle removed his hand.

"He's in the boy's loo on the third floor. Told us to not wait for him and he hasn't come back yet", Crabbe said and again attempted to smile towards Alice.

"Thank you", she said and gave them her cutes smile before leaving across the room and out to the corridor again, having Daphne and Blaise follow her.

"What was that about?" Daphne asked.

"Oh, nothing", Alice said; she didn't want Draco's named mentioned unless absolutely necessary. "I just need to go to the loo", Alice said and started walking upstairs.

"You know there's one at this level as well!" Daphne tried to stop her from going upstairs. "Don't make me go upstairs", Daphne groaned.

"I don't like the one on this floor, you now that Daphne", Alice said and continued walking up the stair. "It's alright, you can wait here." Daphne sat down on one of the steps whilst Blaise followed her. Alice made a right turn and in to the corridor on the third floor to the boy's lavatory.

"Alice isn't this the boy's…?" he didn't get to say more before Alice had entered the room. She closed the door carefully behind her.

"Draco?" she said in a low tone. Her voice echoed in the bare room.

"Who's there?" His voice felt cold, chilling. Whoever he thought it was; he was threatening that person. She walked in to the room, looking around. They almost bumped in to each other around the corner to one of the booths.

"Oh", he simple said and took a step away from her. "Isn't this?"

"Yes I know", Alice interrupted him. "I came looking for you", she said and looked up on him. He just looked at her, with a glimpse of remorse in his eyes but no other visible expression.

"I'm going home. Just over the day, I think you should join", she said quickly. For a moment he almost lightened up, but then he returned to his emotionless expression.

"No", he said and walked passed her.

"Why not? I think it would do you some good", Alice tried. He turned around to face her.

"What do you know what's good for me or not. I said no!" He snapped.

"Well I'm sorry for trying to make you feel better", she snapped back at him.

"It's not like you just can some in here and tell me what to do! I'm old enough to make my own choices."

"I just asked you to come home with me over the day, it's no big deal!"

"Get it in to you head will you, I don't want to go anywhere with you and Blaise", he spattered.

"Is this what this is about?" Alice said. "Me and Blaise?" He didn't say anything. "I would have done anything for you and you just pushed on the floor, stomping your way over me!" They stood quiet for a moment. Alice took one step towards him. "Please, come home with me."

"You're not my mother; don't tell me what to do!" Alice stared blankly at him.

"No, I'm not", she said in her normal tone again. "I just thought you might would want to see her." This time it was Alice that walked passed Draco, bumping in to his shoulder and making him take a step back to regain balance. It probably hurt more in Alice than it'd done in him, she thought as she rubbed her shoulder and walked out of the room. Blaise immediately walked up by her side and put an arm around her.

"You're alright?" he asked.

"Did you hear?" He stopped her and made her look him in the eyes.

"Well, you did yell at each other for a while", he said and stroked her cheek. Alice tried to avoid his gaze, she felt ashamed, mostly that she couldn't tell him what she was going to do. "I know that he means something to you. Don't deny it just to save my feelings. I can take it", he said and bent down to kiss her on the lips. Alice felt the connection between them grew stronger in just that moment. She didn't need to hide from him; he was right. Neither did she need do hide from Daphne. They were both her friends and hopefully they cared as much for her as she did for them. Alice pulled out of the kiss and looked down on the floor for a second. She heard footsteps and by the time she looked up all she could see was the back of a very blond head. He'd seen, it was probably the first time he'd seen her and Blaise together too. Did the bent down head depend on something else or because of her?

.

Alice walked up the very familiar road, surrounded by hedges that led up to the castle she called home.

"Where are we?" Daphne asked and looked around at the magnificent garden. Alice took out her wand, waved and they passed the Iron Gate as if it was smoke.

"Malfoy Manor", she said, simple as that. "I hope to meet my father here; I need to speak to him." Alice looked up and saw the face of a pale woman disappear from one of the windows. What was she still doing here? Didn't she have somewhere else to be? The doors opened before they'd even stepped at the first step in the staircase.

"What are you doing here?" Narcissa ran down the stair to the chocked teenagers. "You haven't been expelled, have you?"

"No, calm down. I just fancied paying you a visit", Alice said and hugged her substitute mother.

"Are you alright? Doing fine in school?" Narcissa asked and smiled at Alice.

"She's brilliant. Better than all other I recon", Daphne said and took one step forward.

"Daphne", Narcissa smiled at her as well.

"Mrs. Malfoy", Daphne said and smiled in the same, polite way.

"And this is Blaise Zabini, my boyfriend", Alice said and made Blaise step forward as well.

"Nice to meet you again Mrs. Malfoy", Blaise said and shook her hand.

"Please come in, we were just about to have some early dinner", Narcissa said and pushed them in to the house.

"The dining room is just trough those doors", Narcissa said before grabbing hold of Alice. "We'll be right in."

"While we're alone there's something I need you to do for me", Alice said, she tried not to sound too pushing. "I need to speak to my father. After dinner perhaps. Do you know how I might get in touch with him?"

"Bella will take care of it", Narcissa said without hesitate. "How's he doing?" She said in a whisper.

"I don't know", said Alice and sat down supplied in one of the armchairs. "He keeps pushing me away, I feel like he doesn't want me around anymore." Narcissa seemed chocked; she sat down beside Alice and stared blankly.

"I would have hoped", she finally said. "The two of you would have found each other. Now that you would get some space, some time alone."

"I'm not sure if I know what you mean", Alice said, Narcissa's words confused her.

"Never mind, Alice. Let us join the others", she said and smiled. The smile wasn't like the warm ones she used to give; this one was cold, almost dead. Alice followed her to the dining room and sat down next to Blaise.

"Bella, I was wondering if you might would want to call my father here", Alice said and started taking of the food.

"Right away?" Bellatrix asked and dropped both her fork and knife with a rattling when they hit the plate.

"Yes", Alice said, meting her gaze. Bellatrix stood up and left the room, leaving an awkward silence after her.

"So Blaise, have you spoken to your mother recently?" Narcissa asked, as if she tried to make the situation normal again. "I had dinner with her about a month ago."

"Well, last I heard, she and her new boyfriend was traveling", Blaise said. Alice looked up just in time to see her father open the door and enter the big room.

"Father!" Alice said in delight and stood up, walked over to him and gave him a hug. "These are my friends", Alice said and turned to the table. Daphne's face had gone white, while Blaise was sitting just as before.

"Daphne Greengrass", Alice said and showed her hand towards Daphne. "And my boyfriend Blaise Zabini", she said and walked over to him. Voldemort looked at both of them with disgrace for a moment before he smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir", Blaise said, stood up and shook Voldemort's hand. Voldemort seemed pleased with Blaise's behavior and Alice could tell he'd decided to approve him. Alice walked over to Voldemort again.

"I need to speak to you in private", she said in a whisper, so that only he could hear.

"We will not be disturbed", he said as the left the room. Alice decided to jump right in to it. Hopefully he wouldn't laugh.

"I want to make a wand", she said in one breath. "I need a wand-maker to help me."

"Where do you need me in this? I believe you are capable of finding one yourself", he said and walked over to the window.

"Of course", Alice said and walked up next to him. "But, it's hard for me to find one whilst I'm in school."

"Don't worry Alice", he put an arm around her shoulders and started leading her out of the room. "It so happens that I have one", he said with a smirk and led her down to the dungeons.

"Mr. Ollivander", Voldemort said with a high voice.

"I'm on my way sir", she heard a faint voice speak in the distance. Voldemort opened the door and they stepped in to the dark, cold cellar. Alice saw the old man she'd met in the summer. He looked about fifty years older, he was dirty and the sparks in his eyes were missing.

"This is my daughter, you will do as she say", Voldemort said. Alice looked up at him; she'd never heard him sound that demanding. It frightened her a bit.

"As you wish, my lord", Mr. Ollivander said and bowed deeply before him.

"I have things I need to attend to, I trust you will make it from here." He put a hand on her shoulder before he left the two of them alone. Alice made sure her father had really left before she turned to Mr. Ollivander again.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Ollivander, are you alright?" Alice took out her wand, waved with it and a chair came out of nothing, placing itself behind Mr. Ollivander.

"If I told you yes, you would still know I wasn't", he sad and sat down on the chair. True enough, Alice thought and she moved on to the real subject.

"I want to make a wand", she said at once. He looked up at her in chock.

"What's wrong with the one you have?" he asked.

"Nothing really. It's just that I came across something rare and I've read it's possible to make powerful wands of it", Alice said.

"Making a wand is a long and difficult process, Alice", Mr. Ollivander said. He looked at her in a way she couldn't really make out. "What is this rare thing you are speaking of?"

"Thestral hairs", Alice said and picked them out from her inner pocket. "Can you make the wand for me?" He took the hairs out of her hand and looked at them carefully.

"I suppose I could", he said, still with his eyes fixed at the six pieced of hair in his hands.

"Is there any way to guarantee that the wand will belong to me?"

"Yes, if you pick the piece of wood and the core. The core is already done obviously", he said. He looked up at her again. "You're wondering what kind of wood would be best for this wand", he said, as if he had read her mind. "Why not just use yew as in the one you've got?" Alice nodded and tried to smile at the poor man.

"Will you keep the hairs for me? I'll go find a piece of yew as soon as I can", Alice said. They said farewells and Alice hurried up the stairs and in to the sitting room, Blaise and Daphne sat in the sofa by the fireplace.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Daphne said as soon as Alice entered the room.

"Tell you what?" Daphne stood up and took a few steps towards Alice.

"That you're father is the Dark Lord. Bit of a chock for me, don't you think?"

"What was I supposed to say? _'Hi, my name is Alice and my father is the Dark Lord'_?" Alice said between her teats. "Real good first impression that one, don't you think?"

"Well, maybe not like that. But you could have told me later on, we're supposed to be friends Alice!" Daphne said in despair.

"It shouldn't matter who my parents are if we are friends Daph!"

"Alice has a point", Blaise said and stood up as well. "He's nothing more than her father really", he continued. "Why should it make any difference?"


	20. Chapter 20

Yey! Chapter 20 is finally here! So, I'm back from London with a lot of fresh British ideas for the story. I hope you all still like it. Reviews are always welcome, positive as negative doesn't matter. It can only make the story better. And as I've said before; if there's something you would like to happen in the story, do let me know it's always interesting to know what you would like to happen next.

That you new readers and the old ones as well, of course. And special thanks to those of you who took time reviewing!

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Chapter 20

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Draco walked in to the Great Hall and made his way to Blaise. It was lunchtime and the hall was overfilled with hungry students, even though that; Blaise was sitting by himself at the far end of the Slytherin table.

"Did you go?" Draco asked and sat down opposite to Blaise. "The day before yesterday, did you go to my house?" Blaise put down his fork and knife and slowly looked up on Draco.

"Yes", he said and whipped his mouth with a napkin.

"How was mum, is she doing alright?" Draco asked, he didn't bother filling up his plate; he wasn't going to eat anyway.

"She seemed alright", Blaise said and continued eating. "We met Alice's father as well." Draco straightened up, they'd met him and where still alive, amazing. Just as Draco was about to ask Blaise further about it Alice walked in to the room. She walked half the distance before she saw Draco. Both of the boys were watching her. Her gaze first met with Draco's, then with Blaise's before she turned and walked to one of the other tables. Blaise looked at Draco before he started to stand up, to walk to Alice instead. Draco reached out and grabbed Blaise's arm.

"Tell me she's doing alright. Tell me she's happy", he said quietly.

"She's doing her best to be", Blaise said honestly. "You know it as well as I do, she's not alright." Draco's gaze was lowered to the floor.

"She and Daphne had a fight, they're not speaking." With that Blaise left Draco at the table and tried to find Alice in the crowd. It wasn't that hard, considering she had the only green robe amongst the blue and the red ones. She was sitting with the blood traitors, Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom. But it didn't matter, if it didn't matter for her, how could it matter to him?

"May I sit down?" He asked and lightly touched her shoulder.

"Of course", she said and turned to him before making room on the bench beside her.

"So let's say I was to receive a Dementor's kiss, it wouldn't actually kill me, just make me..?" Alice continued the conversation the three of them had had before Blaise had arrived.

"It would make you soulless", Ginny explained. "They would suck out your soul!"

"And why are we writing a paper about this? It's not like I'm going to run in to a Dementor and it will accidently give me a kiss that sucks out my soul", Alice said in a grumpy tone.

"Wouldn't be too sure about that", Neville inflicted. "The ministry has had a bit trouble controlling them lately."

"So what do I do if they come barking in on me, trying to eat my soul and stuff?" Blaise put his arm around Alice and leaned in, whispering in her ear.

"I don't think you have to worry love", he said, not loudly enough for the others to hear. "Your dad's got it under control." Alice pulled away and looked at him, she doubted his words.

"How would you know that?" Alice asked, still with her suspicious stare at him.

"One does hear rumours", Blaise simple said before pouring himself a glass of juice.

"Rumours of what?" Ginny asked from the other side of the table. Alice had forgotten they were there for a moment.

"Oh, nothing that would interest you", Alice said and stood up. "I'll see you later in class Ginny. Bye Neville." She started walking away from them to go get her books before potions class started. Blaise gave the two of them a disgusted look before leaving after Alice.

"Weird", Ginny said before she started chewing at her sandwich again.

"What is?" Neville said and looked up from the paper.

"Haven't you noticed?" Ginny said. "How people seem to change around her."

"A part of me is absolutely terrified of her and the other one want to please her", Neville said. "I think she makes everyone feel that way, don't you?"

"Yeah", she said and sighed.

.

Christmas was coming, no doubt. Twelve Christmas trees had been placed in the Great Hall along with a lot of other Christmas decorations. The whole castle was filled with lit candles and mistletoes were hanging in the common room and in the corridors. Alice couldn't help but notice how it seemed to be a boy standing next to her every time she was about to walk under one of the mistletoes. Unsure if she was to be flattered or just scared, she often took long detours to avoid the more crowded corridors. Alice had noticed a group of girls from Hufflepuff had started following her around lately. Daphne on the other hand still wasn't talking to her and Alice wasn't used to be not friend with her friends and therefore wasn't sure what to do really. Blaise had several times tried to make them sit together but it all had just been stiff and silent moments. But Alice had made up her mind. She was going to make up with Daphne before the holidays, which gave her about four days to complete the task. Alice was heading for professor Slughorn's office; he was most impressed with her and often bragged about her to the other students in her class. At the beginning it had mostly been uncomfortable, but nowadays Alice tried not to care.

She knocked lightly at the door and waited impatiently for him to answer. The door was opened slightly and professor Slughorn peaked out.

"Oh Alice, it's you! Come on in!" He said in delight and let her in. He seemed nervous, as if he was expecting something unpleasant.

"What brings you here in this late hour?" He asked and served her a glass of butterbeer.

"There's something I've meant to ask you, sir", Alice said. "You see, I was in the library the other night, in the restricted section... And I came across something rather odd about a bit of rare magic", she started; she wasn't sure what made her say it. But somehow it felt familiar.

"Yes?" Professor Slughorn simply said.

"Well, I was came across something called a Horcrux." Professor Slughorn had lost all colour in his face and Alice was afraid he might faith for a moment.

"I think it would be better if you spoke to professor Snape about this", professor Slughorn made haste to say.

"Well, he's good sir, but not quite like you. He might misunderstand", Alice said and took a small step towards the old man. "I was simply wondering; would it be possible to make a Horcrux out of a living object?"

"I'm not sure Alice, but I suppose..." He said carefully.

"I'm sorry sir; I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I was just curious", she said and smiled at him. "And thank you for the invitation for the Christmas party; I'm sure it will be delightful." Alice wasn't sure if she should leave or stay. Professor Slughorn looked as if he was about to say something. But the colour in his face still hadn't returned to normal.

"You look very much like someone I used to know", professor Slughorn finally said. He scratched the back of his baled head with a worried expression on this face. "The first time I saw you, your looks instantly reminded me of the person. But as time went by it was much more than just your looks that reminded me of that person." Alice looked up on her professor with a small smile on her lips.

"Is it a good or a bad thing, sir?" She asked, it might have seemed like a gentle question, but the undertone of a treat lingered in the air. Professor Slughorn, who immediately was whipped of his feet by her attempt to charm him burst out in a nervous laughter.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing, my young lady", he said. "But I would be careful with it. People, you see, might get intimidated by you."

"Tell me, sir", she said with a little smile on her lips, knowing she had him absolutely hooked. "The man you say I remind you of, what is his name?" Professor Slughorn's eyes widened for a moment before he took courage to speak.

"I never told you it was a man, Alice", he said, very carefully. She ignored his statement.

"Tom Riddle", she said firmly.

"Where have you heard that name?"

"You were after all his favourite teacher. And you are mine _too_, sir", she didn't hesitate when she spoke.

"Who told you that?" Horace Slughorn's voice shivered.

"Oh, well, he did, sir." They met in an intense look. Slughorn was the first one to break it.

"Blimey, look at the clock Alice, of to bed with you. Don't want professor Snape yelling at me for keeping his students up."

"I was just wondering professor, if you... Could tell me about him some day, sir?" She put on her most innocent look and smiled shyly at the old man before her.

"I can certainly not, Alice. I do not know why you are so interested in him and I do not think it is wise of you to continue asking questions about him!" Professor Slughorn pushed the young woman out of his office. "God night!" He said before quickly shutting the door.

.

Three knocks on the door.

"Come in", professor Dumbledore said. The door was opened and a small, round man entered. "Horace, what owes me the pleasure?"

"I think we both know the answer to that, Albus", professor Slughorn said. Another knock was heard on the door. Both men turned to watch the door as an elder woman came in. A frown was placed on the woman's face as she entered the room.

"Minerva, just in time", professor Dumbledore said and looked on her over his half moon-shaped glasses. "I presume you're both here about Miss Gaunt?" Neither of them answered.

"As both of you've noticed, or should I say, as all of us have noticed Miss Gaunt is a very special student", professor Dumbledore said.

"Special, indeed. She's absolutely brilliant but, she scares me just as much", professor Slughorn said.

"Albus, I've never seen someone her age performing what she is doing", professor McGonagall said. "Who is she?"

"I get this weird feeling going down my spine as she enter the room", professor Slughorn said, the fear in his voice was nothing but noticeable.

"She is quite remarkable, isn't she?" professor Dumbledore said dreaming. "She needs to be handled with carefully." The other two professors didn't say anything; they just stood still, waiting for professor Dumbledore to continue.

"Horace, can you guess who her father is?"

"I have my suspicions, but I hope that I am wrong", professor Slughorn said as he took out a hankie and whipped the sweat of his forehead.

"I am afraid you're not, Horace", professor Dumbledore said. Slughorn looked like a moment as if he was about to faint. "The name Gaunt comes from her grandmother, Tom Riddle's mother." They all stood quiet.

"I've been trying to keep an eye on her, talk to her as well", Dumbledore said in his normal, calm tone. "She's very good, indeed. Never let's anything out that would make you suspicious. Always saying the right things."

"What should we do with her?" McGonagall asked, she was worried – this girl; Lord Voldemort's daughter. She could be capable of anything really.

"She isn't quite like him", Slughorn said in a whisper. "Something about her is different."

"True Horace, something about her is very different from her father. She cares", Dumbledore said. He clutched his hands together under his chin and leaned on them.

"Cares?" McGonagall asked, she was probably the one with least experience of the girl. She was brilliant, always succeeding, always getting it right but still very quiet and didn't take much place in the classroom.

"She has genuine friends, she loves. I don't think we really do need to worry. But I Would like you to keep an extra eye on her", professor Dumbledore explained. "Don't let her notice; I presume she would make quite the scene if she did." The three professors went in to silence again. They were all deeply in thought. It was so unlikely that he, out of all people, would make the choice of having a child. All they could hope was that he hadn't got his hands on her just yet. Maybe it wasn't too late to save her. Maybe she could have the chance of a normal life.


	21. Chapter 21

Okay, chapter 21. I hope you haven't gotten bored with me already; we still have a long way to go before the end!

I do think you will recognize some parts of this chapter; which is good. Otherwise you might would want to go to the books and look over some things ;) Enjoy, and as always review! :D

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Chapter 21

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One long day before school was out for this term. Alice still hadn't found a way to talk to Daphne yet. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the newfound light in the room. The twins and the other black haired girl Claire had already gone to breakfast; which made Alice wonder who it might be that came in at this hour. At all, to be honest. She felt how the person stopped by the side of the bed.

"Alice, wake up", Daphne said and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Alice opened her eyes and sat up.

"Daph?" She said and made room on the bed for her to sit. "Daphne, I'm so sorry. I didn't want..."

"It doesn't matter", Daphne said and smiled before she sat down on the bed beside Alice. "I've done some thinking and you were right. It should matter. I'm friends with you; not with him." The two girlfriends hugged each other.

"I've missed you so much", Alice said in relieve. Daphne took out a green wrapped box and handed it over to Alice.

"I know Christmas isn't in five days; but I'm leaving over the holidays and I wanted to give you this before", Daphne said and looked down on her hands.

"I've got something for you as well", Alice said and leaned over Daphne towards her nightstand. She pulled out the top drawer and took out a small, black box. "Open it", Alice encouraged Daphne as soon as she had it in her hands. Daphne did as she said and opened the box; it contained a thin, silver bracelet.

"I've got one as well", Alice said and held out her hand. "That one used to be mothers and since I see you as my family I wanted you to have it."

"Oh thank you Alice, it's beautiful", Daphne said and hugged her again, this time even tighter. "Now I feel like my gift is crap!" They both laughed.

"Don't worry", Alice said and smiled. "When do you get back?"

"I'll be back the day after Boxing day", Daphne said. They said goodbye and hugged each other once more before Daphne had to leave. Her parents were picking her up in Hogsmeade in twenty minutes.

It was cold; sure, Alice was used to the cold but the chill was creeping up her body and didn't want to go away. She headed to the first floor and professor Binns class; History of Magic. She'd planned on missing it but since she was up already there was no excuse for not being there. It was good though; she wouldn't need to concentrate and no one would care if she was doing something else. Something she shouldn't be doing. As she walked through the castle she started thinking about Christmas; last Christmas she'd spent with her mother. Like she'd done every Christmas, in her whole life. She felt sad, but most of all she felt lonely. Daphne had left, Blaise was leaving tomorrow and her father had denied her request to come home over the holidays. More than anything she missed her mother. Was she alright? In heaven? Had she forgiven Alice for her failure? It was all her fault. They could have been together as always in a few days, if she... If she hadn't failed her. Alice turned from her path and headed upstairs; towards professor Dumbledore's office. She needed comfort and she knew he would give it to her. It was something about him, it was almost as if she wished someone like him would have been her father. Not _The Dark Lord_, righteous ruler of the world, misunderstood by most. No, it something was off about that.

"Chocolate Honey", she said, and the stone figure stepped aside. Alice hurried to step on the spinning stairs, the door was already open.

"Professor Dumbledore?" She said and stepped in to the room. The room was empty. She walked over to the desk, trying to find professor Dumbledore somewhere. Then she noticed the ring on the table. She wasn't going to steal it, just look at it for a moment. She picked it up, the pictures she saw last time came back to her, but not in the same, strong way it had first time. They just made them self noticed in her mind. The ring was burning in her hand; she turned it over and over in her hand while she examined it.

"Sweetheart, can you hear me?" Alice froze, either she'd gone mad or she'd just heard her mother's voice. She looked up, nothing was there. Maybe it just was her mind playing her a prank. "Alice, turn around." She did as the voice told her. It's not like anything was going to be there anyway.

"Merlin's beard!" Alice almost fell over, the desk caught her in the last moment. "Mum?"

"Watch your mouth young girl!" Her mother said in a strict voice before she smiled. "Do you like it here?" she asked and took a step towards Alice. Alice nodded; her mouth was dry and she couldn't find the words.

"How about Draco? Is he being nice to you?"

"W-we don't sp-speak much anymore", Alice stuttered. They stood silent, just watching each other. "Mama I'm so sorry", Alice fell down on her knees, crying. "I tried, it didn't work. Maybe I can't do it."

"No Alice..." Anna sat down beside her, put a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "I met death", Anna said. Alice sat up and looked at her mother. "Death told that he felt cheated, cheated because humans aren't supposed to bring back the dead. In order to take me back he would take a price; your life for mine. I couldn't do it. You're my child, love. How could I take your life for my own?"

"Is this a dream?" Alice asked.

"No Alice, this is real. Alice, I have to warn you before I go. Death fears you and he's not going to be kind. Promise me Alice; promise me you'll keep yourself safe!" Alice looked up and her mother was gone. The door in to the office closed. Professor Dumbledore stepped up and looked at her in concern. Alice brushed off her knees, wiped her face and stood up with a smile.

"Professor Dumbledore", she said.

"Alice, and to what do I owe you the pleasure, take a seat", Dumbledore said showing her to sit on the chair in front of his desk. "How are you?" He asked after both of them had taken their seats.

"Fine, sir, thank you", she said with a forces smile.

"Many of my teachers are worried about you", he said with a gentle smile. "They're afraid something is wrong. You've missed a lot of your classes lately"

"Why? What have they said?" Alice felt a bit betrayed, did they really have to go and tell as soon as something was slightly out of place now, did they?

"Has something happened?" It was hard to resist Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes. "With your father, perhaps?" Alice didn't respond. She couldn't talk about that with him.

"Let's talk about your father", Dumbledore said when Alice didn't speak.

"What about him?"

"Is he treating you alright?"

"Fine, I guess", Alice said with a shrug of her shoulders. The look Dumbledore gave Alice frightened her; he knew something he wasn't supposed to know.

"It shouldn't be a guess", Dumbledore said, leaning forward in his chair.

"You have no idea what you are talking about", Alice said. "He treats me better than anyone else!" Silence followed. Dumbledore stared intense on Alice, who was afraid to look at him and focused her gaze on the paintings behind him.

"You're the one making the choice, you know..." Professor Dumbledore said.

"What choice?"

"Of whom it is that you want to be, of course." Some of the painting seemed to still be asleep, some of them opened their eyes for a second and then went back to sleep and some of them just sat there, bored as ever.

"I know you struggle using your wand." She leaned forward in the chair, as if she was afraid that someone else might hear, casting an extra glare towards some of the paintings.

"I learned everything I know without using a wand, and now that I've got one..." She paused, took her eyes away from professor Dumbledore and inhaled deeply. "It's so powerful even I'm scared", she said, forcing herself to look at him again. His expression hadn't changed. She felt awkward and needed for the conversation to continue.

"What am I supposed to do with that power?" She asked. Professor Dumbledore smiled.

"Exactly what you want", he said. "But!" His sudden outburst made her jump in her seat. "Only what you want, not what anyone else tells you to."

"Thank you for the advice professor Dumbledore", she said, got up and went for the door.

"Alice?" She stopped and looked over her shoulder. If she could choose, she'd choose his words, always. "Be careful", he said. She didn't respond, she just walked through the door and closed it behind her. No, she didn't have a choice. She was born in to this, in to this part, to this side. _He_ was after all her father.

.

Blaise and Alice were walking hand in hand up to professor Slughorn's Christmas party. Alice hadn't actually been invited; Blaise had received a letter which Alice hadn't. But as it stood on the invitation cards, they were meant to bring someone. It still was a bit early, but as they got closer to professor Slughorn's office they could hear the rumble of conversation, music and laughter.

"I'm sorry I have to leave tomorrow. Are you sure it will be alright spending Christmas alone here?" Blaise said and looked down on her.

"It's fine really. Besides, I'm not going to be alone. I'm sure there's someone I can be with", Alice said and smiled at him. The door stood open so Alice and Blaise walked right in to the crowd. Professor Slughorn showed up out of nowhere and greeted them with a smile.

"Blaise, Alice! How good to see you!" Alice caught a glimpse of remorse in professor Slughorn's eyes. Something was bothering him and from the looks of it, it was her. A photograph came forth to them, professor Slughorn pulled both of them to stand beside him and they forced a smile upon their lips before the flash went off and the man disappeared again. The Carrow twins were already here; so were Hermione Granger with Cormac McLaggen, Ginny Weasley with Dean Thomas and Melina Bobbin with her date. Then there was a crowd of people Alice didn't recognize at all. Some of them seemed to be Hogwarts students and others were altogether too old. A short man with glasses passed them with a long, pale, hungry-looking man following. Right after that Alice saw Harry Potter in the crowd. She pulled Blaise away to one of the corners, fetching two drinks from a plate a house elf was carrying on the way.

"What's up with you?" Blaise asked in a rather annoyed tone. Alice pressed on of the glasses in his hand before she swept the other glass in one sip.

"Harry Potter just arrived", she said and took the other glass from Blaise's hand, doing the same thing. "Isn't there alcohol in these?"

"You're going to get wasted because Harry Potter arrived?" Blaise said and stopped her from taking another glass.

"No it's just. He can't see me because then he would know. He would recognize me too well... And he gets me thinking of father and I really don't want to think about him right now. I just want to be with you and have a good time", she said way too fast for anyone to really understand what she was speaking about.

"Don't mind him, love", Blaise said, stopping her from taking a drink once more. "We're here for us. Not for him – he's just a jerk we don't have to mind."

"You're right. I'm sorry", Alice said, she relaxed a bit.

"We can stay on the other side of the room from him the whole night", Blaise said. They smiled before Blaise bent down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. The sound of a high hawking got their attention and both of them looked up on professor Snape's face.

"Sorry to interrupt", he said, though he didn't seem sorry at all. "A word, Miss Gaunt", he continued and looked at them with one of his eyebrows lifted. Blaise looked one last time at Alice before he left them alone in the corner.

"What's up Severus?" Alice said with a smile. Professor Snape remained with his cold, neutral expression.

"Its professor Snape when we are within Hogwarts grounds", he said, stiff as ever. "I've spoken to your father. He wanted me to tell you that he will be picking you up in Hogsmeade nine-thirty at Boxing Day."

"Really?" Alice said with a smile. "Did he tell you what we were going to do?"

"No", professor Snape said. "Enjoy the rest of your evening." With that he left her alone again. Blaise came up beside her out of nowhere with a plate and some food on it.

"What did he say?" Blaise asked and held out the plate towards her.

"Father's picking me up at Boxing Day", Alice said, still with a smile on her lips before she took a piece of food from his plate. All the rumble and noise died away, Alice couldn't see what was happening over all the heads. She pulled Blaise with her to go see what was going on.

"… Lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation." Draco pulled himself free of Filchs grip, looking furious.

"All right, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily. "I was trying to gate crash, happy?"

"That doesn't make sense", Alice whispered to Blaise who just shrugged with his shoulders. "If he wanted to go wouldn't he just have asked?"

"Asked who?" Blaise asked.

"I don't know, you maybe? It wouldn't have been so hard for you to get him in here, now would it?" Alice said, Blaise agreed with a nod. Professor Snape took a grip around Draco's arm and led him out from the party.

"I have to go to the loo", Alice said and gave Blaise her glass. She made haste and paved between the groups of people towards the exit. As she got out in the corridor she noticed how stuffy it'd been inside the room. She inhaled the fresh air deeply before she started walking down the corridor. Her footsteps echoed through the cold corridor. Someone else was in the corridor as well. She noticed the clothes and the dark hair; Harry Potter. He took something out from his pocket, a cloak of some kind. As he tossed it over his shoulders he disappeared. But Alice didn't have time to reflect over it much more than that. She took of her shoes and walked down the corridor; you couldn't hear her soft socks on the hard stone floor. Harry Potter's footsteps could be heard now and then and Alice made sure to stay out of the way of him as much as she could. The corridor was about to end and the footsteps had ended as well. She didn't dare go close to the door, in case there's were Potter had chosen to hide. Instead she sneaked in to the classroom beside. She pressed her ear to the wall that separated the two rooms.

"… If you are expelled…"

"I didn't have anything to do with it, all right!"

"I hope you are telling the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it."

"Who suspects me?" said Malfoy angrily. "For the last time, I didn't do it, okay? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about… don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work… I can stop you!"

There was a pause and then Snape said quietly, "Ah . . . Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?"

"I'm not trying to conceal anything from him, I just don't want you butting in!" It wasn't like Draco to speak like this to anyone, was it? He always showed respect for those who deserved it; such as Snape.

"So that is why you have been avoiding me this term. You have feared my interference. You realize that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I had told them repeatedly to be there, Draco…"

"So put me in detention! Report me to Dumbledore!" jeered Malfoy. There was another pause. Then Snape said, "You know perfectly well that I do not wish to do either of those things."

"You'd better stop telling me to come to your office then!"

"Listen to me," said Snape, "… mother I would protect… the Unbreakable Vow." Alice didn't quite catch what it was Snape said through the tick stone wall, he'd lowered his voice so much Alice only caught parts of the sentence.

"Looks like you'll have to break it, then, because I don't need your protection! It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it, I've got a plan and it's going to work, it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!"

"What is your plan?"

"It's none of your business!"

"If you tell me what you are trying to do, I can assist you ..."

"I have all the assistance I need, thanks, I'm not alone!"

"You were certainly alone tonight, which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without lookouts or backup, these are elementary mistakes…"

"I would've had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn't put them in detention!"

"Keep your voice down!" spat Snape, for Draco's voice had risen excitedly. "If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL this time around, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at pres…"

"What does it matter?" Draco asked. "Defense Against the Dark Arts… it's all just a joke, isn't it, an act. Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts…"

"It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco!" said Snape. "Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act? Now listen to me! You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle…"

"They're not the only ones; I've got other people on my side, better people!"

"Then why not confide in me, and I can…"

"I know what you're up to! You want to steal my glory!" There was another pause, then Snape said coldly, "You are speaking like a child. I quite understand that your fathers capture and imprisonment has upset you, but…" Snape had stopped talking; Alice wondered what had happened. Then she heard the door open and footsteps in the corridor that slowly faded away. Draco, she needed to speak to Draco. But not tonight, tomorrow perhaps; if he wasn't leaving. The party was the only thing she needed to focus on right now. To get back to the party, have a great time and leave all worries and concerns to later.


	22. Chapter 22

Finally, chapter 22 it out! I know it's been long since I updated; but I've been rather busy. And I didn't want to rush it into something I don't want it to be.

Thank you for being patient and as always; special thanks to you who reviewed! Well, I hope you'll enjoy! :)

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Chapter 22

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Christmas Eve; what do you do on Christmas Eve if you're absolutely bored and no one is there to entertain you? Well it's obvious isn't it? – No, you're right. It isn't. That's why Alice was sitting by the fireplace in the common room, reading an old and very familiar book.

"Are you going to sit there all night or what?" Alice looked up; she hadn't even noticed her newfound company.

"Well, yeah", Alice said, but she closed her book. Harper walked up and sat down beside her on the sofa.

"I've heard of this really awesome thing you can do", he said with a smirk. But not a mean one, he had more of a playful look.

"Oh really? And what might that be?" Alice asked and smiled back in the same way.

"It's called going outside and enjoy the nice weather." Alice looked down on her hands. It was true; this was probably the nicest day they'd had in months. The sun was shining, the snow was lying still on the ground, sparkling from the sunlight and there were just soft breezes, nothing to complain about really.

"Fine, but only because you made me!" She said whilst trying to sound upset as she failed completely a smiled crawled up in her face instead. "Just let me get my things."

As expected most of those who spent the holidays in school was outside. The younger ones playing in the snow and the elderly students enjoying the sun. Alice and Harper walked down the snowy fields towards the lake.

"So…" Harper said, trying to get the conversation started. Obviously he felt uncomfortable with the silence. Alice didn't mind being quiet most of the time. But for some reason people always felt the need to talk around her. "How are you and Zabini doing?" They sat down on a stone far from everyone else.

"Great, thank you", Alice said with a smile. Harper smiled back at her before he looked down on the ground.

"I'm sorry, but, what do you see in him?" Their eyes met. A mixture of disappointment and jealousy was shown in him.

"He's nice, charming, handsome…" Harper interrupted her.

"Do you think you still would have chosen him, if he hadn't been the first?" At first Alice didn't understand what Harper meant.

"He… Um", Alice made a pause. "He wasn't the first", she said, this time it was she who looked down on the ground.

"What? You've had more than one boyfriend since we started?"

"No, no. We were never together… And it was before school started", Alice said. "But it doesn't matter now. I've got Blaise and I'm happy with him."

"Are you saying that to me, or yourself?" Harper asked after a moment of silence. He did have a point and Alice wasn't sure she actually could answer the question. It had felt so simple. Having Daphne, which Alice didn't doubt at all, and then to have Blaise. Blaise, sweet, gentle Blaise who did everything for her without questioning it. The two of them was really all she had.

"I need him", she said firmly. No doubt about that at least.

"Wake up miss!" Alice tried to open her eyes; it was too early to get up already. "Miss Alice!" Alice opened her eyes fully and looked around the oblong room. The bright eyes and pink cheeks and a great smile.

"Beth?" She remembered the elf too well. "What are you doing here?"

"I found out that you had come here, to Hogwarts, to where Beth work now, and I wanted to give you a Christmas gift", Beth said, her high pitch voice and the speed of her words made it nearly impossible to understand anything. The little elf held out a rather big, badly wrapped box. Alice took it, opened it while trying to look happy. It contained something soft, if felt smooth to the touch.

"Oh, thank you", said Alice and hugged Beth. It was a dress, sort of old-fashioned 50's dress, with lace and in a vanilla white colour.

"I made it myself, miss", Beth said in joy.

"That just made the dress even prettier", Alice said and smiled.

"I have to go now, miss", Beth said, still with a smile that reached from one ear to the other. "Come visit us sometime, in the kitchen miss!" And with that she disappeared. Alice looked at the end of her bed. She counted the gifts to fourteen before she lost track and had to start over. She couldn't imagine who would want to give her anything at all. The first box was from a boy in seventh grade she'd spoken to once; it contained a mixture of sweets. Five or six following boxes contained pretty much the same. Then she got a gift from Narcissa; a cosy, fur-vest. After that a small box from Blaise that contained a simple, beautiful necklace, a silver chain with a blur stone hanging on it. She noticed a big, unmarked gift in the bottom of the pile; it was wrapped in a brown paper and rather heavy. She opened it carefully. It contained a pair of ice-skates, white ones, just like the ones she used to have when she was younger. Alice wondered who might know her well enough to know she loved ice-skating. It didn't make any sense at all; it wasn't from Daphne or Blaise, neither was it from Narcissa or her father. Who else could it be?

.

Alice took her new skates and walked up the castle. Most were probably heading for the fest in the Great Hall. She didn't mind though, the thought of having to eat alone later on. The thought of having the lake all by herself was much more alluring. She ran down to the lake, though the tick snow. This was perfect, it felt like home. She put on her skates and walked out on the ice. The nice feeling of just gliding, without anything stopping her filled her body and she couldn't help but smile. It was a bit dark though. Alice took out her wand and swung with it ten times. Ten, lit lanterns suddenly hung in the air. Giving the surrounding a warm, cosy feeling. She speeded up, to a leap and made a pirouette and landed perfectly at one foot. How could she ever have forgotten this? In the corner of her eye, she noticed the shade of a person by the shoreline.

"Draco?" She said as she approached him. There was no doubt about his blond hair.

"Sorry, I was just heading up for the fest when I noticed you", he said, he didn't look at her. "You look beautiful up there", he continued and started pushing some snow around with his foot.

"Thank you", Alice said and smiled.

"Do you, um", he paused and looked around, everywhere besides at Alice. "Do you know who gave them to you?" Alice stepped away from the ice and sat down to take of the skates. She patted on the ground beside her and he sat down.

"Yes", she said, still with a smile. "How did you know?"

"You told me, remember?" He said and looked at her for the first time. "Under the willow, when it was raining so badly."

"We were soaked", she said and smiled even brighter at the memory of it. "And I said I didn't want to get wet of the rain..."

"Even though you probably couldn't get any wetter", he filled in.

"I can't believe you remember that." She put a hand on his arm. He smiled nervously.

"I remember everything you say to me..." His cheeks turned brightly pink and he looked away from her again. She wanted to show her affection for the gift to him, but wasn't sure how to do so without him taking it the wrong way and without she herself taking it the wrong way.

"What did Blaise give you?" Draco asked. Alice pulled down her collar so that the necklace was visible. "It matches your eyes", he said. He seemed disappointed, a bit jealous even.

"It's beautiful, yes", Alice said. She hesitated, she did love it and it suited her perfectly. Simple yet stunning. That was the best way of describing it.

"But?" He interrupted her thoughts.

"It's a piece of jewellery. You don't really have to know a person to give them a necklace", she said, trying to comfort him in some way.

"Where have you been?" She asked and leaned her head on his shoulder. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

"I've been around", he said, giving her the most vague answer so far. Alice sat up straight, she just remembered something.

"What's an Unbreakable Vow?" she asked looking him deeply in the eyes. She had forgotten how beautiful they were, the light grey and the stripes of blue going from the black all the way to the edge of the iris. "What happens if you break it?" Draco stiffened; he understood that she must have heard.

"You die, if one break an Unbreakable Vow, they die", he said in a low tone. "Where did you hear that?"

"What's the mission?" Alice asked, her voice was harsh and honest. "The quest my father gave you. What is it?"

"I can't tell you", Draco said. Fear played across his face.

"Why not?" They were now leaning away from each other.

"Because he told me not to."

"Why did he give it to you? Why didn't he give it to... me?" Draco stood up, and so did Alice. They didn't look at one another but the tension between them was tick as stone. Draco sighed and looked away even more, if that was possible.

"Why did he give it to you of all people? I was under the impression he didn't like you very much."

"Does it matter what _he _thinks of me?" Draco hissed.

"Whose opinion matters then?" Alice put her arms over her chest and starred intense at him.

"Yours does", he breathed out.

"Then you should know my opinion of you has changed", she said and he instantly looked up at her, met her gaze. "You avoid me, you lie to me, you act differently – and not in a good way, you lurk around, taking use of people that shouldn't have anything to do with it..." Alice counted the statements on her fingers.

"I don't lie to you!"

"What is it you do then? Keeping the truth from me? I don't see the difference between those two."

"He gave it to me to punish me", Draco suddenly said. Alice went numbed. "He gave the mission to me, to punish me for being with you and..." Alice took a step forward, initiating him to continue.

"And for my father's failure." He looked down on his feet, as if he was about to cry. This couldn't be true, none of it. But her earlier experience with her father, it did not surprise her too much.

"I don't know what to do... And I'm just so scared", he whispered. He would probably kill him if he didn't do it, what ever it was. Alice stepped up to him, leaned her head against his chest and put her arms around him. Her heart took more than one extra beat when he did the same.

"You could have just told me", Alice whispered in to his chest.

"No, I couldn't", he replied.

"What do you mean by that?" She pushed herself away from him. "Don't you trust me?"

"It's not just me who have changed", he said, as usual, he avoided her gaze.

"I cared for you, I would have done anything for you", Alice said and started backing away from him.

"When it's real, you can't just walk away", he said and reached out for her arm. "Don't leave me."

"Well… I guess it wasn't real then", she replied and turned from him. Alice picked up her skates and hurried away from the scene.

.

"What's up with you? You're all grumpy and down today", Daphne said and pushed Alice gently in the side. Daphne had come back earlier that morning, like a sunray as always. Alice looked around in the room, they were pretty much alone.

"I spoke to Draco yesterday", she said quietly. Today was much chillier than the day before. The temperature had gone down probably 15C and the sun was nowhere to be seen. "It felt too good, Daph", Alice said just as Daphne was about to inflict.

"What did he say?" Daphne moved closer to Alice on the sofa.

"Well, first he was being all nice and so", Alice stared.

"And then you had a fight", Daphne continued.

"How did you know?" Alice looked at her friend with big eyes.

"You always fight, it's like you have to so that you can stay away from each other", Daphne explained. "The tension when you two are in the same room is so thick you could probably cut in it with a knife."

"He asked me to not leave him", Alice said, ignoring Daphne's very true statement. Daphne reacted to her words; she straightened up and looked at Alice with confusion.

"He was the one that left you", Daphne said firmly. A cough not three feet away caught their attention.

"Miss Gaunt, it's time", professor Snape said. His eyes were moving quickly from Alice to Daphne and back again. Alice stood up, took her bag and walked passed professor Snape.

"Where are you going?" Daphne yelled after her.

"I'll be back tonight or tomorrow morning!" Alice yelled back before she stepped out from the common room. They walked under silence, professor Snape in the lead and Alice following him as a tail. They weren't heading for the main entrance but for professor Snape's office. The room they entered was rather big, bookshelves filled with jars of different unidentifiable objects. Professor Snape walked over to the lit fireplace and stopped.

"The plans have changed, you're meeting your father at the Malfoy Manors instead", professor Snape said slowly. "Have you used floo powder before?" Alice shook her head. "Take a hand full", Snape said and held out a jar filled with some sort of gray dust. Alice did as he said and took a handful of the floo powder.

"Toss it in the fire." Alice did so as well. "And speak the destination."

"Malfoy Manor", Alice said clearly. The flames went emerald green and higher than before.

"Just step in to the fire and it will take you there", professor Snape said and gave Alice a gentle nudge towards the fire. Alice did as he said and stepped in to the fire. She started spinning around, seeing loads of different rooms before her feet finally took ground again. She stumbled a bit from the hard landing and walked out in the familiar room slowly.

"Alice, excellent", her father said to her left. Alice looked up at him and smiled. "Did your travelling go well?"

"Well, I'm here", Alice said and brushed of some ash from her clothes. Then she turned serious. "There's something I need to ask you."

"Anything", Lord Voldemort said and gave her a smile.

"What mission did you give to Draco?" She asked quickly and firmly.

"It doesn't matter. We have more urgent matters to attend to", he said, completely ignoring her.

"It matters to me!" The two of them starred at each other for a long moment.

"He shouldn't mean anything to you", Voldemort finally said.

"Well he does and it's not like you can just change it", Alice said softly, trying to win her father over.

"Love only makes us weak", Voldemort said. Rage filled him, his own daughter, taking liking of someone like _Draco Malfoy_. Unacceptable!

"Tell me what you ordered him to do!" Alice demanded. Voldemort took out his wand and pointed it towards Alice. "What are you doing?"

"Teaching you a lesson", Voldemort said. "Crucio!" The light hit Alice. Her legs couldn't carry her anymore and she fell to the ground. Pain radiated intensely from her heart and out to her whole body. She couldn't control her muscles. Before she could stop herself a yelp of pain slipped between her lips.


	23. Chapter 23

I'm so sorry it's been so long since I updated last. Things have just gotten in the way of my writing. Well, here's chapter 23 anyways so I hope you'll find it as good as usual. :)

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Chapter 23

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"You've got to be kidding me?" Alice turned to face Pansy Parkinson. She looked just as much as a dog that she had done the last time Alice had seen her. "What are you trying out for? Skank of the year?" Alice stepped up to Pansy; she was without doubt taller than Pansy, who tried to back away a few steps.

"What did Draco give you for Christmas?" Pansy didn't answer. "Guess he couldn't find anything that went with that dogface of yours." The expression in Pansy's face told Alice it had stung.

"What did he give you?" Pansy was on the brink of crying. _Pathetic_, thought Alice. Pansy seemed so strong otherwise; surprising something so obvious would be her weakest point. Alice leaned in towards her.

"Himself", she whispered in her ear. "Entirely." Alice took out her wand without anyone noticing and pointed it into Pansy's side.

"I do think you want to carry my bag", Alice said with a smile. Alice dropped the bag in Pansy's hand, whom immediately put the bag in her shoulder and followed Alice.

"Pansy, where are you going?" Millicent Bulstrode yelled after them. Pansy's face had gotten even paler; she must have remembered the last incident between the two of them. They walked across the hall by the main entrance and down towards the dungeons.

"A-are you going to hurt me again?" Pansy said behind her. Alice stopped and looked over her shoulder. Pansy was afraid to even meet her eyes.

"No, not when you behave that is", Alice said, once again with a smile. They started walking again and entered the Slytherin common room. Alice took one look, it was crowded, the first day of term was around the corner. She made her way over to the right, Blaise was there with some of his friends. Amongst them Draco.

"Hey babe", Alice said. Blaise stood up and turned towards her.

"Hey..." He said and took her in with a surprised smile. Alice took a step forward, she looked to her right. Draco was looking at her in chock. Their eyes met. Then she looked back at Blaise and kissed him. Most of the boys around them cheered and clapped their hands. Just like in a high school-movie. Alice finished the kiss and stepped away. Daphne was the one she needed to talk to now.

"I thought you said that you were with Draco?" Pansy said; Alice had almost forgotten that pansy was following her.

"I said he gave himself to me, I didn't say I want him. You can have him if you'd like." Alice stopped in front of the armchair Daphne sat in. Daphne looked up, her first reaction was chock, then it went over to a smile.

"O, what's up with the outfit?" Daphne asked, she obviously tried to sound serious but failed miserably. "It makes you look bad!" Alice raised an eyebrow towards her friend.

"Don't get me wrong, you're all about dresses and skirts and stuff. But this, I mean wow! I like it!" Daphne stood up and smiled again before they hugged each other. Then she nodded slightly towards Pansy that was standing a few feet away. Alice attached her gaze in Pansy's.

"Go away?" She then harshly said. Pansy put the bag on the table next to them and it seemed as she couldn't get away fast enough.

"Hey, you're almost as tall as I am in those shoes", Daphne said and started measuring the height difference between them. Alice caught her own reflection in one of the windows. Maybe it did make her look bad, the tight, black jeans, the low-cut top and the boots. This was her now though – she wasn't just showing of an image. She was showing of herself, her new self.

"Um, hi", said Draco, he was standing right beside her. Daphne slowly disappeared and left the two of them alone.

"What is it?" Alice asked and looked at him carefully. He was holding his wand, turning it in his hands, rolling it between his fingers. Something was bothering him.

"What was that about?" He asked, as if she would understand what he meant. He didn't look her in the eyes; in fact, he wasn't looking at her at all. "I thought..." He interrupted himself, swallowing hard.

"Maybe you should stop thinking so much and go do what you're supposed to do", she said with a cold smile. He looked up at her in fear.

"You know?"

"Yes, I know. He wouldn't be too pleased with you if he found out you were spending useful time on me when you have other, more important things to attend to. Now would he?"

.

Daphne and Blaise made their way to the Great Hall; Alice was supposed to have met up with them in the common room for supper. It had been two weeks since school started, two weeks since Alice got back.

"Have you noticed the change in Alice?" Daphne asked quietly. A group of younger Slytherin students were passing by.

"Change? How do you mean?" Blaise asked. Daphne stopped and looked at him with a serious gaze.

"I mean it, Blaise. Don't you see it?" Blaise sighed and turned to her.

"Yeah, I see it", he said and shrugged his shoulders. "I love her, no matter how she changes."

"I'm not saying we should try to change her back", Daphne defended herself. "Something must have happened!"

"I think we should leave it to her then", Blaise said. "It's her thing to deal with. If she wants to go back that fine, but if she wants to be like this, it's fine too." They stood quiet for a moment. Harper and a few others from the Quidditch team walked by.

"Hey Blaise, you coming to practise?" Harper said with a goofy, boyish smile.

"I'll be right down", Blaise said. Daphne and Blaise looked at each other one last time before Blaise followed the boys. How could he not care? Didn't he see the abrupt change in his girlfriend? Trying not to think about it Daphne walked in to the Great Hall searching for Alice. She then noticed her; surrounded by girls Daphne had never seen before, involved it what seemed as an intense discussion. They sat not far from Pansy Parkinson and her friends either. Daphne came in and sat next to Alice, she looked around at the girls sitting beside them. For a moment she wasn't sure if she should be bothered by them of not.

"Pansy was talking about you again", Daphne said and picked up the napkin.

"Sometimes I wish someone would hex her right in the face, making her nose shoot mucus or something", Alice sighed, tiered of Pansy's constant talk about her. Pansy hadn't dared to open her mouth whilst Alice was around. Rumours had it, though, she more then opened her mouth about Alice when Alice wasn't there.

"Why would you want to be with her? Isn't she a mudblood?" Alice continued the conversation. She casted a vicious glance towards the Rawenclaw girl whom for the moment were sitting by them at the table.

"I'm not sure", Amy said, looking down on the floor.

"I bet that blood of hers is giving her a hard time getting any friends at all", Alice laughed and the girls beside her did the same. "Who would want to socialize with a mudblood anyway?"

"We just got to know each other, I didn't know..." Amy tried to explain herself.

"Of course _you're _the one getting in this sort of trouble, Amy", the girl next to Daphne said. She was long, lean and had thick, brown hair. "You never think."

"Now, now, Jenny, don't be harsh", Alice said and Jenny instantly returned to her former, calm state. "After all, I'm sure all of you will take not of whom to and not to be with furtherer on."

"What do we do then, if they won't leave you alone?" A third girl asked. All of them seemed insecure of themselves.

"Just point your wand at them and think Solvta Inter", Alice said with a cunning smile. Daphne had never seen her like this before. She wasn't just giving friends advice, she was demanding them in a way so that they themselves didn't even realise it. "It's a non-verbal spell. But even you girls should be able to perform it." Alice looked each and every one of them for a second in the eyes. "I trust you", she then said with a smile. The five girls around them stood up and left the table, without speaking a word to anyone else.

"And how long have you known them?" Daphne asked and started eating from the food on her plate.

"Long enough", Alice said, with the same, cunning smile she'd had before.

"Don't do that to me", Daphne said, putting her fork down with a slam.

"Do what?" Alice looked honestly surprised.

"Pretend like you know something I don't, like you're better than me", Daphne said between clutched teeth. Alice leaned in, looking very serious but still with that, god forbid it, annoying smile.

"But I do know something you don't", she said and left the table. Daphne stood up and followed her friend. This wasn't going to end. Not like this anyway. The clothes and the attitude towards others she could handle. But when it came down to friends... That's where the line goes. Daphne caught up with Alice just above the stairs down to the dungeons. Alice was holding a piece of parchment in her hands. She glanced over her shoulder and made it burn in her hands as Daphne got closer.

"What was that about?" Daphne asked, with her arms crossed over her chest.

"A letter", Alice said and started walking away from Daphne. "It wasn't for me."

"Oh, come on! We both know that's not the truth!" Daphne said in rage.

"Fine! It was a note from Dumbledore asking me to come to his office", Alice said and turned to Daphne.

"And you're not going?"

"No. He's just going to snoop around in my private life, as always."

"You've never objected towards it before?" Daphne walked down the steps so they were at the same height again. They stood quiet as a group of students passed by. "What happened? You can tell me, you know that."

"Nothing happened Daphne, just let it go!" Alice said. She might have sounded very convincing to someone else. Daphne knew she was lying; Alice wouldn't look directly in her eyes when she spoke. Although, Daphne sighed;

"Whatever, if you say so." Alice smiled, this time it was her genuine smile. "So, tell me about these new friends of yours", Daphne said and smiled back.

.

Professor Dumbledore walked down the stairs in the big castle. It had been long since he did so. The path he was taking was leading down to the dungeons where he had some unfinished business. Most of the student that he met either warmly greeted him or just walked by, as if he wasn't there. Fortunately, none of them seemed to take notice of his black hand. They were all heading back to their common rooms as is was about bedtime.

"Albus." Professor Dumbledore stopped and turned.

"Minerva", he said with a soft smile.

"Albus there is something I think you should see", she said, her worry was unnoticeable. "In the hospital."

"I'm afraid that I am on my way to a very important meeting. Is it crucial?" Professor Dumbledore said, he had a pretty good guess of what was going on.

"She stable for now, Severus is with her", Professor McGonagall said. "There is nothing wrong with her; it seems as if her body is just shutting down."

"She is going to be fine, Minerva. I believe that the girl is in good hands", professor Dumbledore said. Professor McGonagall nodded and hurried away along the corridor. As professor Dumbledore continued his walk the corridors started to empty completely. He casted a glance on the watch, it was past bedtime with about fifteen minutes now. By the time he got down to the dungeons almost half an hour had passed. He stepped in to the Slytherin common room; only the older students were still out of bed. They all watched him as he crossed the room, towards the only person that didn't pay any attention to him. He stopped by the table she and her friends were sitting at. Both Mr. Zabini and Ms. Greengrass watched him with big eyes.

"Alice, for god's sake!" Daphne finally said and pushed her on the arm. Alice looked up, directly at professor Dumbledore.

"I believe we have a meeting", he said with a, in Alice's opinion, far too kind smile.

"Right", she said and closed her books. "I must have forgotten, sir."

"No worries Alice", professor Dumbledore said. "Take a walk with me." Alice left her books at the table and walked after the old man. Professor Dumbledore took one last glance around the room; he could only find one student missing.

"Much to do in class? A lot of homework?" Professor Dumbledore asked when they'd left the common room.

"Not really, sir", Alice said, she looked down on the floor.

"Then you don't really have a reason to have skipped our appointments these last weeks?" Alice shrugged her shoulder.

"I guess not", she said in a low tone. They continued under silence.

"How are things going otherwise? I noticed some new friends of yours", Professor Dumbledore said as they got closer to his office.

"Enough chit-chat", Alice said. "Get to the point." They stepped on the spinning staircase and stepped in to professor Dumbledore's office.

"Alice, as you might have noticed people seem to change around you", Dumbledore said, he walked over to the desk and sat down behind it as usual. Alice started stepping back and forth through the circular room.

"I don't mean for them to do as I say. Most things I say is rubbish anyway", Alice said, stopped and looked at professor Dumbledore.

"Like when you told them that you wished someone would hex Pansy Parkinson in the face, making her nose shoot out mucus?" Professor Dumbledore looked at the young girl over the edge of his glasses. He folded his hands together and rested his chin upon them.

"Yeah", Alice scratched the back of her head. "Like that, I'd never believe someone of them would actually do it."

"I want you to be careful though, Alice", professor Dumbledore said. "They take things a lot more serious than you mean to... Unfortunately we don't have time to do what I planned for today, so I'm afraid we must reschedule for yet another meeting." Alice looked down in the floor once more.

"The girl, in the hospital?" Alice said and looked up at him.

"Ah, you know about her?"

"Everyone does", Alice said. "You should try giving her some essence of Dittany."

"Essence of Dittany is manly used for external wounds..."

"That's just because no one's ever tried eating it", Alice said. Dumbledore nodded. This girl was much more knowing that she portrayed. The devouring of books he'd heard of was probably a part of it.

"I'm not going to keep you any longer Alice, but this was a warning. Our meetings are of far more importance than you might understand", professor Dumbledore said.

"Good night sir", Alice said and turned to walk out from his office.

"Alice, you dropped something", professor Dumbledore said and pointed slightly on the piece of paper on the floor. Alice stopped, looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"No, I didn't", she said before continue walking. Professor Dumbledore stood up, walked over and picked up the paper. It was an old photo that seemed more than familiar. On the picture was a cave by the shore.


	24. Chapter 24

Hey guys! So, here's chapter 24! I did originally write it much longer, but as I read through it I decided to cut it here and take the other parts in the next chapter instead. I hope you don't get too disappointed in me. :)

And thank you as always for the reviews! Special thnaks to JuicyLucy921, your review made me smile the whole day! :D

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Chapter 24

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Alice walked on the narrow path twisting between the trees. She pulled her clock closer together at close out the cold. There were some trails of different animals, but the forest seemed a bit to quiet. To take a walk was the best way to clear one's mind. At least Alice thought so; it always seemed to work for her. It grew colder the farther in to the forest she went and an unpleasant feeling spread in her body.

"Alice, isn't it time to go back now?" Blaise asked. He had a hard time following her trough the deep snow. She seemed to put her foots is all the right places, making it look like she almost walked on top of the white mass. Blaise on the other hand put his foots in all the wrong places, which often lead to him sinking down to his knees.

"No, it was your choice to follow. You can go back if you'd like", Alice said and continued walking. Her eyes were fixed at a point in the far end, on something no one else ever could have seen.

"Remind me why we are going two miles out in the woods again?" Blaise's foot got stuck in something underneath the snow and he fell hands down forward. While Blaise was desperately trying to get up and spitting out the snow, Alice got up her eyes on exactly what she'd been looking for.

"A tree?" Blaise said behind her. "We came all this way for a bloody tree?"

"Don't curse Blaise, it doesn't suite you", Alice said and smiled towards him. "This isn't just any tree. It's a yew", she said and walked up to it.

"Why didn't you just send one of your minions to do it?" Alice didn't answer. He didn't have to know exactly what she was going to do with the piece tree.

"Alice, please, can't we just go? This place makes me feel weird", Blaise begged and kept casting glances over his shoulders.

"I just need a piece of this..." Alice said as she reached for one of the lower, thicker branches.

"Alice?" Blaise said, he sounded a bit disturbed. But Alice had almost got a good grip of the branch she was going for. "Alice?" Blaise said again, this time even more distressed. "ALICE!"

"Blaise, calm down!" Alice said and turned towards him. The chill crept even closer to her and a sad, overwhelming feeling came over her. The black, cloaked figure stood bent down over Blaise.

"What is happening?" Alice asked, but Blaise didn't respond. Fear mixed with anger made Alice take out her wand and started shooting unknown, harmful spells at the creature. It turned towards her, this faceless demon, and slowly came closer. Alice fell over, her body screamed for her to run. But there was no way out of this, it was the end. Her heart started pounding. There had to be a way to making this horrible creature go away; it wasn't going to take her life. She continued pointing her wand towards it and fire spells, some of them stunned it for a moment, others just slipped of its black figure. As is leaned down towards Alice, images appeared in her head. The first one of her mother's lifeless body, the feeling she had felt when she couldn't take her back overwhelmed her. She was body, after body, most of them she'd never seen before. She felt guilt over taking their lives, the same guilt she felt now for being in fear of her life. How could she have taking their lives without blinking, and now feel this way? Just as she thought it was done for, a light came across the thick, dark coat that surrounded her. The air didn't feel as cold and she inhaled one deep breath.

.

Once Alice regained conscious she'd entirely lost track of where she was. It smelled clean and it was quiet. She hear one pair of foots stepping back and forth over the floor. The bright light's kept her from opening her eyes.

"Where am I?" She felt a hand on hers.

"In the hospital", a voice spoke. "Neville Longbottom found you in the woods." Alice tried to sit up, her arms and legs felt weak.

"You should probably lie down; you've been out for more than a day", Draco said, he still had his hand on hers.

"Has Daphne and Blaise been here?" She opened her eyes and watched Draco. He looked tired, but he kept a close watch at her, as if he was afraid she'd pass out again.

"Yeah, they left a while ago though... About when I came", he said with a soft smile.

"What time is it?" Alice looked around to find a watch. Most of the beds around her were empty. Across the hall from her was a young boy, probably a first year, he sat in the bed looking rather bored. The black hair and the round face seemed familiar to Alice, but she couldn't place where she'd seen him before.

"Eight thirty", Draco said, he had a wristwatch.

"Oh, then it's not been long since Blaise was here, I need to speak with him", Alice said, surprised that they'd left though it was so early.

"Eight thirty in the evening, Alice", Draco said with concern. Alice looked at Draco in chock.

"How long have you been here?"

"Since nine thirty this morning. I would have stayed yesterday, but they made me go to the dormitory", he said as if it was nothing. "I brought your favourite book as well", he continued and nodded towards the bedside table.

"Oh, I love that book", Alice said and reached for it. "But it's not my favourite."

"Which one is then?" He looked down quickly on their hands as Alice braided in her fingers between his.

"The one you gave me", she said with a smile. His cheeks turned lightly pink and he looked away from her. "Hey", she said and lifted his chin up. "It's going to be alright."

"I'm scared", he said.

"I know", Alice answered. How couldn't he be? Even Alice was scared. Tears started falling down his face, but he didn't sound anything.

"Why can't I succeed for once? Why can't I be the good guy?" Alice sat up on the side of the bead and leaned her head against his. She needed to tell him what was going to happen. It surprised her that no one had walked by yet.

"I'm going to leave", she said. He looked up at her in horror. "Come with me."

"I can't. You know that", he said, his voice was soft. "He'll kill us, he'll kill _them_." Of course, he would leave people behind. If she wanted to, she could just... Disappeared. "Alice, I..."

"I'm so sorry for all of this", Alice said and put her hands around his face. "If I'd never..."

"Don't say that, don't even think it", he said, looking her straight in her eyes.

"But I have to." She let her hands fall of his face, but grabbed them in the fall. "If I had done things differently, you wouldn't be here. It wouldn't be like this."

"I don't regret it, any of it", he said. This time it was he that put his hands around her face. They were sitting close together. Alice tried to smile, but instead she bit her bottom lip, trying not to get to emotional. "Don't you get it?" He smiled for a second before he turned serious again. Maybe, if you looked hard enough, you could see a glimpse of hope and happiness.

"I need to do this. We need to. But after, you will not remember any of it..."

"Alice, what..." She silenced him with a finger.

"You will remember that we had a fight, your feelings will have changed after it. You are not going to care for me anymore. You're passed that and are moving on..." Alice leaned in and replaced the finger with her lips. He responded directly, put his arms around her, pulling her closer. She put each hand on each side of his face, placing her fingertips in height of his temples. Draco took the kiss deeper. He'd been longing for this ever since they'd met. His heart was beating harder than ever. She pulled away and when he opened his eyes, he was alone.

"Hey Draco", Blaise said and walked up to him. "You alright?" Draco looked around and nodded. "Where's Alice?" Draco looked down on his hands.

"I have no idea", he said. All he remembered was the fight he had, the one with Alice.


	25. Chapter 25

So, I know you might have some confusion and questions and I'm sorry to say you'll probably not get the answers you need in this chapter. But it's all coming, just have some patience and you'll understand. It'll all clear up as the story goes along.

Here's chapter twenty-five, enjoy. :)

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Chapter 25

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Alice stepped back and forth over the hard stone floor. The old man sitting at the end of the room watched the more inpatient girl grumble in her own thoughts. Then she suddenly stopped and pierced her blue eyes in his.

"What was it?" She asked; her voice was soft yet cold at the same time.

"What attacked you and Mr. Zabini you mean?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I saw dead faces, the haunt me, why did I see them?" Alice whispered. "What was it?"

"Right now it doesn't matter what it was, we need to focus..." Alice pulled out her wand and pointed it towards the old man. He didn't react especially, the hands he had folded underneath his chin fell to the desk and his eyes fixed themselves in hers.

"Tell me what it was!" She hissed between her teeth.

"A Dementor", he said and gave her a soft smile. She put the wand away quickly and loosened up a bit. "Have a seat and I will tell you of them." A moment of hesitating before Alice walked up to the desk and sat down in the chair.

"What is your biggest fear?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Alice asked; the look on professor Dumbledore's face made it clear that he would tell once she answered. "To lose my mind, to not remember who I am or who it is that I love", Alice said.

"Not to die?" Alice shook her head.

"I do not fear death. Death fears me", she said. Her tone was low and cold. "Why did I see dead faces?" She asked once more.

"Dementor's drain us of our happy memories, leaving us with nothing but the worst behind", professor Dumbledore explained.

"Those memories are not mine", Alice interrupted. "Is there no way of protecting one from this?" Professor Dumbledore stood up and walked around the desk, he stopped by a chest, placed next to a small round table with a silver device on it.

"A previous professor thought a student how to protect himself from Dementor by using this technique", professor Dumbledore said. Alice walked up next o him. "What I need you to do is picture the fear you felt that night, picture the Dementor in your head. Then, when I've opened the chest you need to place a happy memory, the happiest you've got in your mind and speak the words '_Expecto Patronum'_."

"Is that all, a happy memory?" Professor Dumbledore smiled. Alice didn't have to think twice about that, she already knew. "I'm ready." She pictured the fear, she pictured the feeling she'd had that night. AS professor Dumbledore opened the chest with a fast swooping with his hand Alice felt unsure. Who could ever protect themselves from such true horror?

The creature inside the chest stepped out of the chest. Alice placed the memory in her head.

"Expecto..." She lowered her wand, there was no hooded figure, there was no Dementor. She looked upon herself, as if she would stand in front of a mirror. For every time she took a step back as did she, the other her, take a step forward. Until there was nowhere to go, the wall behind Alice made her stop.

"You can't exist!" Alice screamed at the figure of herself. Alice didn't quite understand what happened next, the figure disappeared but she didn't feel any better for it. Her legs gave way under her and she fell on the floor. She pulled her legs to her chin, crossing her arms around them. She couldn't get the image of herself like that for her mind. The grin, the starring eyes, the straight posture. Was that how others saw her?

.

"Hey Alice, are you alright?" Blaise caught up with her right outside the great hall. "I looked for you in the hospital, but you'd already left."

"Yeah, I had to go", Alice said in a whisper.

"I heard about the fight with Draco..." Blaise tried to pull it out of her; what had happened between the two of them.

"He was a moron", Alice said, now in her normal tone.

"Nothing new, that is", Blaise said with a sigh of relief.

"Alice! Alice!" They both stopped and turned. Amy Broderick ran up to them and stopped for a moment to catch her breath. "We have a bit of a situation", said Amy breathless.

"Well, handle it then", Alice said with no pity for the girl in front of her.

"It's Joanna", Amy tried. Alice turned completely against her.

"What about her?"

"Well, she and that mudblood from Rawenclaw had a fight and the teachers caught them", Amy said. Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Joanna who?" She said and smirked. "Remember Amy, we do not wish to fatally harm them, only remind them that they are not really a part of this world." Amy seemed pleased with her answer and smiled back before leaving the two of them.

"Just like that?" Blaise asked as soon as Amy was out of hearing from them. Alice looked at him as if she didn't understand what he meant. "You're just tossing her away?"

"If you were to carry all the dead weight, you'd be crushed underneath it", Alice answered with a soft smile. She stroked him over the cheek and kissed him quickly on the lips.

"What are you not telling me?" Blaise asked and took a firm grip around her wrists.

"It's nothing, Blaise, I promise", Alice said and smiled once more.

"Don't you trust me?" He asked while looking her in the eyes.

"Of course I do", Alice said. "We are great."

"You're great. I'm just tagging along", Blaise said before he kissed her again. "I love you", Blaise whispered. Alice's body stiffened. She pulled herself out of his arms and turned from him. Love, he couldn't love her.

"No", Alice said, "no, you can't love me", she continued before she turned and walked away. She glanced over her shoulder. Blaise stood exactly where she'd left him. His always so proud posture was blown away. For the first time Alice actually saw him vulnerable, he was hurt. As she passed by the Great Hall Harry Potter and his mudblood friend almost walked in to them. As for Potter, he didn't seem to notice her whilst Granger gave her a long, examining look before she turned back to Potter. Alice had completely forgotten about the Apparating lesions the sixth years was having today. The other students weren't going to be outside because of the weather, they were probably going to sit in their common rooms, cuddle up in the sofas with their friends. Heavy raindrops hit the ground outside the school building, mixing themselves with the snow creating slush of it all. As soon as Alice had left the courtyard she slowed down. She'd had this feeling of being followed, but is soon went away. A chill went down her spine and she glanced over her shoulder. No one was there. To get rid of the feeling and take shelter from the unpleasant weather she started jogging over the lawn, towards the forest. The threes were good as shelter, not only from the bad weather but from unwanted eyes as well. Alice started walking down the same path she and Blaise had walked on the week before. It was better like this, that she was alone. She needed to think over some of the recent events. Blaise, loving, gentle Blaise who not only were in love with her, but loved her. And it was all her fault. She shouldn't have let him come so close to her. Not he was just going to be hurt, hurt because she wouldn't live up to him. And then it was Daphne, whom had avoided Alice everywhere except in the common room. Things weren't going exactly as she'd planed. A crack behind her caught her attention and interrupted her thoughts. Alice snuck up behind a three and fixed her gaze to where she'd heard the noise. It was a girl, about Alice's age. The girl was sitting by a three, leaning against it. Her eyes were red of tears. Alice wondered what might had gotten the girl so upset that she'd hide in the forest, crying. She concentrated at the girl, not knowing exactly what she was doing.

"_I just wish someone would notice me sometime. But no, because everybody loves Alice Gaunt. Who is she really?" _Alice didn't know how it was possible, but there was no doubt. She'd just entered this girl's mind, this unknown girl that was thinking about her. Alice focused again and entered once more. It wasn't as hard as she'd thought; it was just to poke around in the girl's memories. Then she found what she'd been looking for. The girl felt left out, all her friends had abandoned her because of what she was. It wasn't hard to discover more about the girl, whom now had a frightened expression on her face. The girl's name was Julie Andersen, a muggle-born in Rawenclaw. Of course, it all made sense. Joanna had gotten in to a fight with a Rawenclaw mudblood. Alice pulled every memory this girl had of her and the girl's previous friends to the surface, making her remember and making her suffer even worse for it. All those foul thoughts she had about Alice just because her so called '_friends' _had chosen to be with Alice instead.

"Who's doing this to me?" Julie Andersen finally yelled out while in tears.

"What makes you think you would ever be good enough for them?" Alice said. If Julie had paid more attention she'd noticed Alice long ago.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to", Julie sobbed.

"Walk with me", Alice said. Julie quickly got on her feet and followed Alice deeper in to the forest.

"Alice Gaunt", Julie whispered. "You're the most beautiful girl in school."

"Enough with the flattering, it won't help you", Alice said coldly.

"Are you going to kill me?" Alice stopped and Julie was only inches away from walking in to her. Alice turned towards the scared girl with her wand raised.

"Crucio", Alice said and Julie fell to the ground, twisting from the pain. "This is only a mare inch of what will happen to you when it comes out that you're a mudblood." Alice said and broke the curse.

"Then what do you want from me?" Alice started walking again and she felt how Julie hurried to follow.

"You're in the seventh year, right?"

"Yes."

"And you're in Rawenclaw which means you're clever, right?"

"I guess." Alice stopped, they'd reached the three Alice was looking for.

"Now, here's what I want you to do", Alice said and took the same branch she'd been after previously. "Since everything we send in and out from the school is being searched, I want you to take this with you and send it to Garrick Ollivander. I doubt they'd let me send this to a man whom is supposed missing."

"I'm not going back to school?" Julie said and took the piece of wood from Alice's hands.

"No, you're leaving Brittan with your family", Alice said. "When they find out, you're as good as dead." Julie looked from the branch to Alice and back to the branch. "I brought you here because we're far enough from school for you to apparate."

"Thank you", she said, once again crying. She hugged Alice before she apparated away from the scene. With a sigh of relieve Alice started the walk back to school. It'd stopped raining, for the moment. Alice enjoyed the short moment of relief from the heavy weather. She walked by the brink of the forest, towards Hagrids hut and the main road that lead up to the castle. Fang, Hagrids large hound ran towards her, barking happily. He jumped Alice, almost knocking her of her feet while trying to lick her face. Alice didn't mind the dog, she's always liked animals. Alice kneeled and started scratching the dog behind one of his ears, as most dogs enjoy.

"Fang, get yer butt back here!" Hagrid yelled to the big dog. Fang lifted one ear in Hagrids direction but ignored his command. Hagrid lumbered over to Alice and Fang, unknowing that Alice was even there. "Oh, miss Gaunt, didn't catch yeh there", Hagrid said once he was close enough to see both of them.

"Hello professor Hagrid", Alice said and put on an innocent smile.

"You haven't been to my class lately, Gaunt", Hagrid said and tried to not sound to disappointed.

"Alice please, sir", Alice said and smiled once more. "And I know; no excuse really. I'll have to get a grip of myself."

"Would you like a cup of tea, Alice?" Hagrid asked and smiled back at her.

"Thank you sir", she said and they started walking towards the small house.

"I'm glad to see that yer doing alright anyways", Hagrid said and have her a, according to him, light tap on the shoulder. "Heard about that nasty Dementor attack."

"Yes, not very friendly those guys", Alice said and tried o shake it off. The attack itself didn't bother her as much as the events that had followed did. Hagrid opened the door and let her in to the small space. Alice had never been inside before, but it was pretty much as she'd imagined it. Cosy, a bit messy but very homely. The cups he placed on the table was big enough to play as a hat for Alice if she'd like.

"You went to Hogwarts in the 40's right, sir?" Alice asked carefully.

"Yes, how come?" Hagrid asked and poured the cup to its brink.

"If you knew someone, that clearly had a bad influence on you. Made you do things you didn't really want to. Would you pull out, even though you loved that person?"

"Who do yeh know that went here in the 40's?" Hagrid counter questioned. He tried to sound authoritarian, and looked at her with suspicion in his mind.

"I'm really sorry that you got expelled. Self-preservation often takes it tall on those who really don't deserve it", Alice said and stood up. She hadn't touched her tea, but she needed to speak to someone else right now. Daphne was the one she needed.

"Alice?" Hagrid said as Alice walked out of the house. "Alice?" Alice ignored him and walked with hurry up the lawn. The Apparation lesion had probably ended by now, and everyone would be sitting in the common room, talking and laughing about it. She hurried in to the castle, passed the Great Hall and down to the dungeons. Alice quickly made her way to the Slytherin common room. It was about empty, not at all as crowded and cosy like Alice had imagined. Draco sat in the sofa by the fireplace. Their eyes meat, and for the first time Draco was the one to break it. Pansy was leaning against him with a loving smile on her lips. Not really feeling up to it, Alice walked past the group of students towards the dormitories.

"Alice?" Blaise said from behind her. What was it with everybody and saying her name today? Alice stopped with her hand on the doorknob. "Daphne and I kind of needs to talk to you", he said and combed through her hair with his fingers. Just as he'd finished the sentence Daphne opened the door that Alice was currently holding on to.

"We need to talk", Daphne said and opened the door to let them in. Blaise mostly seemed fascinated by being in the girl's bedroom and walked around the room, inspecting every inch of it.

"What happened?" Daphne asked. Alice looked at her as if she had no idea what Daphne referred to. "You said you were going to be gone a few hours, half a day tops. Alice, you were gone almost two weeks!"

"I had things I needed to do", Alice said firmly. Daphne was in no position to question her.

"And all those people? Did you hex them?"

"No! How can you even ask me that?" Alice glared at her friend with anger.

"Daphne's right Alice..." Blaise had been quiet so far.

"Right about what?" Hissed Alice to him. He backed off a few steps and held his hands in the air.

"You're using them for your own amusement!" Daphne said in a high pitched tone.

"They came to me; I didn't make them do anything. They're doing it by their own will", Alice defended herself. "Stop acting like a filthy blood traitor and join us instead."

"Join you in what?" Daphne asked, she was calmer now.

"Cleansing out those who are below us", Blaise said, suddenly it'd all come clear to him.

"We don't need a world with them", Alice said and smiled. "We don't need anyone to tell us what to do. All those grownups who think they are someone? Those who think they can make a change? They're yesterday and we are today." Daphne smiled.


	26. Chapter 26

Here it is; chapter 26. As always, thank you for reading and reviewing, it's what keeps me going. This chapter is a bit longer than usual, maybe the longest I've written so far. So I hope you'll enjoy it, and that it might clear some things out for you.

Special thanks, again, to JuicyLucy921 whose review made me smile for a whole day again! :)

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Chapter 26

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"Are you finished soon?" Daphne asked and leaned in over Alice's shoulder.

"Why? Got anywhere else to be, have we?" Alice asked while finishing the sentence she was writing.

"Not really, it can wait", said Daphne and sat down next to Alice by the table. They were in the rather empty common room. "Just something I recon you'd enjoy", Daphne continued without being able to keep the smile away.

"When you say it like that, you know I can't wait", Alice said and smiled back. Daphne put up her books on the table next to Alice's.

"You know what?" She said and started searching for a specific page in one on the books. "I think I'm going to keep this one for now."

"Oh no", Alice said, her face went blank.

"What?"

"You can't do that to me, now I won't get it out of my mind", Alice laughed. "You need to tell me!" This time Daphne's face went blank.

"On no", she said and looked passed Alice. Alice turned half a turn only to see Pansy Parkinson coming over to them. Pansy stepped in between Alice and Daphne to give Daphne a hug. Daphne just watched her in disbelief.

"Did you get the invitation to the dinner tonight?" Pansy asked, standing in the way to completely shut out Alice. "Sixth years only", she said over her shoulder to Alice.

"I did", Daphne said and looked down in her book. When Pansy didn't move away Daphne looked up at her once more.

"So?" Pansy asked.

"So...?"

"Are you going?" Said Pansy, as it was the most obvious in the world. "You know, I heard Vincent's got the hots for you."

"Vincent as in Crabbe?" Daphne couldn't help but laugh. "Don't disgust me", she then said, fully serious. "Alice, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah", Alice said and put the books in her bag. "See you tonight, Pansy", Alice whispered as the two girlfriends walked passed her. Daphne led the way out to the hallway and they started walking up the stairs.

"Blaise asked you to go with him?" Daphne asked with a smirk.

"Weeks ago", Alice answered and they both laughed at the irony of it. They walked under silence through the crowded corridors; even if they'd tried to talk the words would probably have disappeared in the murmuring. Daphne pulled in her in to a toilet on the second floor without any forewarning.

"Blimey", Alice said in the surprise. "I don't think I've ever been here."

"That doesn't surprise me", Daphne said and walked further in the room. "No one ever goes here."

"And yet here you are", a shrill voice said from above them. Alice looked up and met the eyes of a young, girl ghost. "Come to bother me again?" Girls toilet, ghost, second floor.

"Excuse me", Alice said to the ghost. "What's your name?" She decided to be nice at first.

"Myrtle", she answered and lowered down to Alice's level.

"When did you pass?" Alice continued. She'd read the story in a book about Hogwarts. "In 1944?" Myrtle seemed chocked as she just nodded before floating away. Alice turned to the sinks to her right.

"It's over here", Daphne said as Alice started looking closer at one of them. "How did you know?"

"Father told me of it", Alice said and walked over to Daphne. She was right. There, at the tap was the image of a small snake. Alice let her hand linger at it as she spoke;

"_Open up_", Alice said, her voice was low and hissing. Then the sink moved, sank down out of sight and a pipe wide enough for one man to slide in to was left behind.

"Brilliant!" Daphne said and looked down the pipe. Alice walked closer to the pipe and looked down it. It was rather dark and it was impossible to see where it ended. Alice lit her wand and reached down, as far as she dared without falling in to the hole. The pipe was dirty and old.

"Terasus Sursuma", Alice said and pointed her wand at the walls that instantly cleaned up. "What do you say? Should we take a look?" Alice asked and looked over the shoulder at Daphne. Daphne on the other hand seemed a bit unsure of entering the unknown, black pipe. Alice put the wand in her pocket and smiled at Daphne before she jumped down the pipe. It wasn't a very long journey before she found ground again.

"Daphne, let's get going. We don't have all day", Alice said, trying to lure her scared friend down.

"Well..." Daphne answered after a few seconds. "Isn't it dirty down there?"

"Just come, Daph, or I'll go without you..." Alice knew exactly what to say. A scream followed by a scared Daphne entered the long corridor that followed the pipe. Daphne, who wasn't as graceful as Alice fell right on her bum and looked rather mad as she stood up and brushed the dirt of herself.

"That wasn't so bad now was it?" Alice said with a big smile. Daphne returned the smile with an evil glare that suggested that they'd better move on. The corridor looked as it had been cleaned up recently; the floor was almost to clear. They were stopped by a door, decorated with twisting snakes that was tightly shut. It couldn't be as simple as it had been to open the previous one, but Alice tried and the door slowly opened. They entered the long, dim lit chamber, decorated with pillars of snakes and at the far end a great statue of the honourable Salazar Slytherin. Suddenly Alice had a hard time breathing, the air felt thick and unapt. She put a hand over her chest whilst trying to take a full breath. Something was stopping her, as if she had a pair of arms holding tightly around her upper body.

"Do you feel that?" She asked and turned back to Daphne. Something was pressing inside of her, taking more space and pushing something else out.

"Feel what?" Daphne asked and walked up to Alice.

"Never mind", Alice said and smiled. They continued to walk down the path, towards the statue. The chamber widened, it almost felt infinitely large. The further they walked, the more Alice got the feeling of not being completely alone with Daphne.

"Oh my, look at this Alice!" Daphne stood a few feet away, at the head of a year's old, sort of half rotten kind of snake. A big one too, at least ten yards to say. "How long do you think it's been here?"

"Don't know", Alice said and looked closer on it. "Something killed it though."

"You know, I heard something about this. In our second year, a lot of mudbloods were attacked, no one died. Apparently Harry Potter was in here", Daphne said, she just remembered the incidents that had taken place during their second year.

"We're not alone in here", Alice suddenly said. She looked around, at first it seemed as nothing. But then she came eye to eye across the room to a pair of big, brown eyes under a mane of brown hair.

"What are you doing down here?" Hermione Granger asked and took a few steps towards them. "As a prefect it is my duty to inform..."

"Oh shut your mouth hole, mudblood", Alice said clearly and glared angry at the girl. Hermione went in to some sort of shock; she couldn't get another word out of her mouth.

"It's you", Hermione then said. Alice glanced over her shoulder at the very confused Daphne. With a fast wave with her hand Daphne fell down, unconscious on the wet floor. "What did you do?" Hermione said loudly and pulled out her wand.

"Relax, she's just asleep", Alice said and walked forward, towards Hermione. "She can't hear this conversation."

"Who are you?" Hermione asked. Alice stopped when they were close enough to speak normally to one another.

"But you already know that", Alice said and smiled. Hermione looked at her in misbelieve and raised one eyebrow.

"You're in the Slugclub, which means that you are talented. You're always with Greengrass or Zabini, so you're probably in Slytherin. But what is your name?" Hermione said.

"I would have thought your love's baby sister would have told you, that you'd spoken of me", Alice said and smiled. It hadn't been hard at all to enter the mudbloods brain without her even noticing. "But you already have, you just don't want to say it." Hermione backed away and put her arms over her chest.

"How do you know that?" She asked; a moment of concern flew passed her eyes. Alice tapped twice at the side of her head.

"You told me so", Alice said and smiled. "You know who I am." Hermione looked scared for the first time.

"You're Alice Gaunt, a fifth year in Slytherin and..." shivered Hermione.

"And...?" Alice pushed her to continue.

"You're the heir of Slytherin, Tom Riddle's daughter", whispered Hermione. Alice took one step forward, disappeared and repapered only inches away from Hermione.

"And that makes you very aware of what I can do..." Alice smiled and pulled a strain of hair out of Hermione's face. Hermione looked to be at the brink of crying.

"You're clever; I give you credits for that. But one thing I do not fully understand", Alice said, turned and walked a few steps away from the frightened girl. "Why haven't you told Harry Potter of me?" She turned back o face Hermione.

"Because you're not your father", Hermione said. "You're nothing like him..."

"You say this, yet you do not even know me. Why?" Alice felt suspicious towards these statements. True, she was not her father. But neither was she not like him.

"If it is one thing I've learned about him it that he does not love", Hermione said. "And it is love that drives you." Alice stood silent; she wondered what this would lead too.

"For those who know what to look for, it's obvious", Hermione said. "You love him... Draco, you love him." Alice wasn't sure why she reacted so strongly, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at Hermione.

"I do not love him", she said between her teeth. "He is nothing to me."

"Why are you creating a distraction?" This couldn't be happening, this girl couldn't know this much.

"Crucio", Alice said and the red beam hit Hermione in the chest. The pain spread in her body as the curse took place in her. "Ossa Frangere", Alice said and the sound of breaking bones echoed through the open space. In a second Alice stood beside Daphne and woke her up.

"What happened?" Daphne asked.

"She was quick with the wand, knocked you out", Alice said and helped her friend to stand. "Let's get out of here." They walked over Hermione's broken body and hurried through the corridor, as they walked the tortured girls screams faded away. They came back to the empty toilet before they stopped to catch their breaths. Alice turned to the sink and told it to close itself.

"You didn't close the door down there", Daphne reminded her. "What if the mudblood tells?" Alice took a grip of Daphne's arm and dragged her out, towards the Slytherin common room.

"That girl won't be telling anyone", Alice said before making sure no one was close enough to hear. "I broke every bone in her body."

"What?" Daphne said, surprised by the information she'd retrieved. "Can you even do that?"

"Don't know about anyone else, I can", Alice said. They entered the common room and made way directly to the girls dormitory. "Get changed, we're late." Alice stepped in to her room. She'd lost it down there, and it couldn't happen again. How could that girl, that insignificant mudblood affect her in those manners? She slipped out of her tight jeans as her thoughts raced in a hundred miles an hour. Without really thinking about it she picked up the first dress she got her hands on and pulled it over her head. She walked over to the mirror. It was that dress, the one with a corset, the one...

"It looks good on you."

"It is a bit to big tough", Alice said and pulled the fabric together at the waist. Steps grew closer to her and she felt a pair of hand at her back.

"It's a corset, remember", he said and pulled up the ties on the back.

"Yeah, I remember", she said and closed her eyes, just too intense the gentle touch of his hands. He pulled all of her hair to one side and placed his lips at her neck. Alice took his hands and put his arms around her body, the warmth, the love.

"Alice? Alice!" Alice opened her eyes and looked in the mirror, the dress was still hanging lose around her body.

"Do you need help with that?" Blaise asked. Alice nodded and he walked up behind her to tighten the ribbons in the back. "You look beautiful", he said and put his arms around her body. Alice turned and smiled.

"You don't look bad either", she said and fixed the collar of his jacket. He bent down and kissed her. It didn't feel like it had done. It wasn't him that had changed, it was her.

"I love you", he whispered and kissed her again. "Ready?" Alice nodded; she wasn't sure what to answer to the other things he'd said. But ready, that she was.

They caught up with Daphne right outside the Great Hall and no one said much as they walked to the place of the dinner. It was somewhere at the seventh floor. Crabbe and Goyle stood placed at a door Alice had never noticed before.

"Hey Daphne", Crabbe said as they passed by. Daphne shook her head and stepped through the door. It lead in to a big room that was decorated completely in green and silver, lit with candles and three fireplaces. Three groups of tables, seven seats at each, took up most of the room along with tables full of running across the walls. Alice's eyes got drawn to the first group she saw, Pansy and Draco stood closely together holding each other's hands. Draco looked up and met her gaze, but looked away quickly without any emotion in his face. It'd worked, just as she'd planned it to do. It had worked perfectly. Pansy left Draco's side and headed in the direction of the loo. Alice excused herself and followed, she needed to see it for herself. Alice pulled out her wand before entering the toilet. Pansy stood by the mirror and put her hair in place.

"Petrificus Totalus", Alice whispered and Pansy's body stiffened. She couldn't see Alice, and didn't know what had just happened to her. Alice focused her mind and entered Pansy's without any difficulty. It wasn't as simple as Alice had thought, she saw Draco, the memory was from three years ago. Pansy's memory showed the emotion of love and affection towards him, she'd been in love with him for ages. And this memory portrayed their first kiss. It was one of the happier memories Pansy had. He'd never been fully devoted to her, and she was well aware of it. But he kept relying on her for some reason that neither of them understood. A bond of trust had been formed between them. They'd been together for so long. Alice came to the memories where she'd entered the picture. Pansy had taken notice of Alice long before Alice had taken notice of her. She'd been amazed by Alice's looks and perhaps a bit jealous. Then she watched the look she and Draco had exchanged by the table in the Great Hall the first night they'd been here. Pansy had read much more in to it than Alice had. It wasn't strange that Pansy hated Alice, why wouldn't she? Alice came out of nowhere, steeling the love of her life. Alice took the spell of Pansy, who instantly turned around.

"What are you looking at?" Pansy said and walked passed Alice.

"I'm sorry", Alice said. Pansy stopped, backed up a few steps and faced Alice. "I didn't know..."

"Didn't know what?" Pansy spat.

"I didn't know how much he meant to you", Alice said with guilt. "I didn't realise that you had so much history together, and I'm sorry I didn't care about it." Pansy's face softened.

"I would probably never say this to someone else, but it's something about you..." Pansy started and put a hand on Alice's shoulder. "How could you know? I mean, he didn't tell you so who else could have?" They stood quiet and Pansy's eyes filled up with tears.

"Do you know what it feels like to love someone that doesn't love you back? Someone who is meant for someone else but sticks with you for god knows what reason?" Alice stood quiet. "Of course you don't, because you're perfect and it will never happen to you." Pansy walked passed Alice and was very sure to hit Alice's shoulder with her own.

"He's out there with you, isn't he?" Alice said in anger. "He chose you."

"He did and he's never going to be yours." Pansy walked out from the room leaving Alice alone. No, he was never going to be hers. The door opened behind her again.

"Alice..." Daphne walked up to her and have her a hug. "I heard."

"How can I be so stupid?" Alice said, tears started falling down her face. "And Blaise's outside, loving me, thinking that all is well and I'm... I..."

"Calm down", Daphne said and put a hand on each of Alice's shoulders. Alice sat down on the floor, her legs wouldn't carry her. Daphne sat down next to her.

"It's better like this. They have each other now and I can't interfere in that anymore."

"Do you love him?" Daphne asked and sat down beside Alice. "Draco? Do you?"

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"Hey Draco, have you seen Alice?" It's been more than half an hour since he left for the loo.

Why would I keep track of someone that makes my life a living hell?" Draco said, it wasn't like him to speak like this. "So no, Blaise, I haven't seen her."

"Whatever, man", Blaise said and frowned. "I was just asking if you'd seen her."

"She's probably off haunting some mudbloods", Draco said and shrugged with his shoulders.

"What?" Blaise asked and took a step closer to him; this was not something everyone should know.

"She's flipped the switch, gone nuts."

"What?" Blaise asked again.

"This was never her, she never hurts anyone if not necessary, she doesn't use people like this. Something's gone wrong."

"All of the things she's doing is because of..."

"She is doing this because she doesn't care!" The sudden outburst Draco made got Blaise to recoil a step. "None of it matters to her, it never has..."

"What are you speaking about?" Blaise asked; they were both putting on a harsh tone towards each other. "I might not know Alice as well as you do, but even I understand what matters and doesn't matter to her!" Draco didn't know what to say; Blaise knew Alice much more than he ever would.

"Well obviously..."

"She does it for you!" Blaise interrupted him. "She loves you, don't you get it?" Blaise said. He was hurt, the tone in his voice told so. "What happened that day?" The day they had the fight, of course.

"We talked, nothing special and the as always we started nagging at each other", Draco said and shrugged his shoulders.

"You never nag at each other, Draco. You try to call each other names and being mean, but everyone else sees that it really doesn't work." Draco felt confused, he wasn't really the one to nag, neither was Alice. "She does this because it's the only way she believes can be with you. You didn't fight; she made you remember the fight because she didn't want you to remember the kiss."

"The kiss?" Draco asked, was this one of Blaise's tricks?

"You kissed", Blaise said with intensity. "She made you forget because she thinks she's protecting you." The tension in Dracos' shoulders dropped, he signed for Blaise to leave the room and talk where no one could interfere.

"You talked, no nagging, no fight. You just talked and you finally fessed up, you acknowledged your feelings for her", Blaise said. "But she knows that you can't be together without risking your life. She made you forget and move on to protect you. Feelings like this don't just change overnight. I know this, because I saw it. I was there."

"I'm just so angry with her, and I don't know why", Draco said. Before Blaise got the chance to say anything else Draco turned and walked away from the scene. As long as Alice wanted to be with him, he would stick around, knowing he was the second choice. But just as long as she wanted him too.

"Blaise", Alice said and walked up to him. Her eyes were red of tears, even though she'd done a good job trying to hide it. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Yeah, well. Here I am", he said and smiled. It hadn't been so real until now. "Have you ever kissed?" He asked; it was a thought he hadn't really meant to speak out loud.

"Excuse me?" Alice said, confused by the situation.

"Draco, have you ever kissed him?" Alice reacted in a way Blaise wasn't prepared for at the question.

"No..." Alice said and looked down in the floor.

"Then why is it so hard for you to tell me that you care?" Blaise lifted her chin up so that their eyes met. "It shouldn't be, not after this long time." Alice didn't say anything. She did care for him, but to actually say it. To make it official; it felt hard.

"Is it because of you father?" Alice shook her head. No, that wasn't it. She didn't know the reason really. It was guesses combined with defuse feelings.

"I love you, Alice", Blaise said again. "Do you love me back?"

"Um", Alice said and looked down on the floor again. Blaise took a step away from her. He'd made up his mind.

"If this is where we're at, it's no point in going any further", he said and completely let go of her. "If this is all we'll ever get, it's not worth trying anymore." Was this it then? Was he breaking up with her? She needed him, he couldn't leave. Not now.

"Thank you, it's been... interesting", he said and started walking away. Alice panicked.

"I do!" She finally said after him. He turned around, but kept walking. "I do care for you?" She knew he'd pick it up for what it was; a question. A doubt.

"You care more for him", he said and swallowed, but then put up a smile. "If we ever had half of what you two have. It'd still be reckoned as absolutely fantastic." He turned his back to her and picked up the pace. Then he suddenly stopped. "Thank you, Alice."


	27. Chapter 27

I recon I've been rather good at updating lately, don't you? And! The chapter are getting longer and longer, have you noticed? Sorry, I'm just giving myself some credits because I feel rather proud of myself for it. I hope you still like reading my story and that you keep up, we have much left to go. Just so you know. Criticism, positive or negative is always welcome, as well as ideas or suggestions of what you would like to see in the story as we go.

And as always, thanks to you who reviewed, you new readers and you that keep reading. Thanks to all, that is! :)

And I think we're making this a bit of a habit, but LuicyJucy921, you made me smile again. Thanks! :D

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Chapter 27

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Alice ran down the corridor, she was in a haste to do something she'd forgotten about. It had all become so blurry. It was way passed bedtime and if Alice were to be caught... No, she wouldn't be and that's why she was running. The bathroom was just like she'd left it. Dark, empty and quiet. Alice walked up to the sink and ordered it to open. It was quiet when she got down to the corridor and the door at the end was still open. Alice's heart started racing, what if she'd died? She had seemed as a fighter, a survivor, that's why Alice had dared to do it. Or what if someone had come down here and she'd told? Alice got in to the chamber and followed the long corridor. She was still there, lying absolutely still on the floor. But her chest rose and sank, she was breathing. Alice kneeled beside her and pulled the hair out of her face, she was still conscious.

"I am really sorry about that", Alice said, her voice echoed through the open space. "Now, this is not going to hurt you, at all. But it's probably going to hurt me and if you want to leave me her it's fine. Just get out of here when I'm done." Alice put one hand above her heart and the other one at her stomach. Then she pulled, she pulled the magic that held Hermione down out of her. Something snapped and pain fled through Alice's body. The bones in the thumb on her left hand had broken. She continued to focus and pulled more of the spell out of Hermione's body. All the bones in both of her legs broke at once. Alice couldn't help but to yell out in pain. Then the ribs, they cracked in order, making it hard for her to hold her body upright. Hermione on the other hand took a full breath. The bones inside Alice continued to break, one after one. The pain was almost too great, but she knew what she'd done and what she needed to do to fix it. And this was it. At last it was only one thing left. Alice's head flipped back in a hasty movement that broke her neck. Tears were silently falling down from her eyes.

"What did you do?" Hermione asked as she could sit up again. Even if Alice had been able to answer she wasn't sure she had. "This is amazing", said Hermione and touched on her mended body, "I'll bring help!" Hermione stood up and ran as if she'd never been hurt in the first place. Alice tried to focus on a rippling sound somewhere to her left. If she was going to die, it would at least sound nice when she did. The sound reminded her of home, her real home. Where the snow never really melted away and in the spring, some of the snow would melt and create small streams of water down the mountains. She remembered the valleys and the mountains where the reindeers ran freely. And of course; her mother, her loving, warm mother. Alice tried to take a deep breath, but one of the ribs was pointing in to her lung, making her feel an intense pain instead. She tried to cough, but instead the pain spread making it harder overall to breath. And just as that, her body started to fade away from her mind. It didn't hurt that much any longer. The warmth that spread in her body actually felt really nice. Alice felt tired, as she'd gone on adrenalin for too long and it finally caught up with her. She was just going to close her eyes for a moment, just to rest some. Every so often a drop fell all the way from the roof down on the floor beside her with a calming sound. Sometimes it splashed and a few small drops landed on her cheek, reminding her that she was still alive. She heard footsteps in the distance. Voiced that grew closer.

"Miss Gaunt?" The voice belonged to professor McGonagall. Alice didn't have the strength to even react. "Miss Granger will you be so kind to fetch professor Snape?" Hermione left the place and headed up again. She'd come back, even though what Alice had done to her, she'd come back.

"Miss Gaunt, give my any sign that you hear me", professor McGonagall said, she was worried. Alice could feel how she tried to cast spells to make the pain less, and if Alice had felt any it would probably have worked. Steps came back towards them, Alice had completely lost track of time.

"Oh, Severus, hurry", professor McGonagall said. "What is it?"

"I've never seen anything like this", professor Snape said. "This is dark magic, indeed. I think you made a wise choice of getting me."

"Who could have done this to her?" Alice wondered for a moment if Hermione was going to tell what had actually happened, or if that was something that would stay between the two of them. Snape started mumbling words Alice didn't quite catch. Her head, which were in the most awkward position suddenly snapped back and mended itself. Bone after bone snapped back in place and she felt her body coming back to the way it should look.

"She is not fully healed, but we will be able to move her now", professor Snape said in his normal, chilling tone. With great care, they placed Alice on a stretcher and carried her away from the dark place.

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Alice sat in the hospital, thoroughly tucked down in one of the beds. She'd felt fine for days but was not permitted to leave. It was about noon and Alice was waiting for lunch, she could almost smell the food from the Great Hall. The worst part was probably the curtains that hung around her bed, she was in no need of privacy.

"Alice?" Hermione Granger stepped in and sat down on the chair standing next to Alice's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thank you", Alice said with a smile.

"I meant to come to you sooner..." Hermione started, she was a bit unsure of what to say really. "What did you do to me? Or what did you do to yourself?" She wasn't completely sure of what had happened really.

"When I cursed you I could decide how much it would hurt you", Alice started. "But when I take spells back, I have no control of it. It blows up in my face, full speed."

"You almost died", Hermione said. "You almost died for me, even though..." Hermione put a hand over her mouth.

"Even though you're muggle-born", Alice filled in. Alice pulled her hair to the side and started braiding it. They sat quiet for a moment, Hermione focused on the floor in front of her and Alice on her hair.

"I'm sorry for what I said", she suddenly said. "I didn't know that it would make you feel like that. But I have to ask; what do you see in him?"

"I might ask you the same", Alice answered. "You should really practise your occlumency, it's important."

"Don't get me wrong, Blaise Zabini I get. But Draco Malfoy? Out of all people that admire you?"

"I could never tell so that you would understand", Alice said, she didn't feel comfortable at all to speak with Hermione Granger of this.

"I have class", Hermione excused herself. "Don't tell anyone of this."

"You know I won't, and if you do, you know I am going to hunt you down and kill you before admitting to anything", Alice said and the two girls gave each other an understanding smile before Hermione left. Madam Pomfrey pulled the curtains aside and practically kicked Alice out of the bed; apparently professor Dumbledore had requested to see Alice in his office and since madam Pomfrey did not think Alice was well enough to leave it had put her in a bit of a bad mood. To Alice's pleasure on the other hand, she couldn't get out of there fast enough and ran almost all the way to the headmasters' office. She knocked at the door and entered.

"Before you say something smart and give my one of those brilliant lesions that makes me think for days I have something I need to ask you", Alice started as soon as she'd entered the room. Dumbledore smiled from behind his desk. "Harry Potter, he has a cloak, right?" Dumbledore nodded. "A cloak of invisibility", Alice continued and professor Dumbledore nodded again. "Like in the tale of the three brothers, the Peverell cloak of invisibility. This got me thinking... The stone", Alice walked up to professor Dumbledore's desk and picked up the ring on which the large, black stone was attached to. "The stone of resurrection, and the elder wand." Dumbledore nodded. "Now why would you want all three of them in the same place, very easily collected, if not to protect someone? Having all three of these would make one master of death, isn't that what the story tell? And if Harry Potter, the one destined to determine my father would have these, he couldn't lose, right?" Dumbledore smiled just as before. "How would you be able to make sure that he was the one in the owning position of all three?"

"I figured that someone as bright as myself would figure it out and make sure that would come to reality after my death", he said and smiled even wider towards Alice.

"You're death?"

"I think we both know what is going to take place here at some point soon", he said, still with the smile on his face. How could he be so calm about this? Alice sat down in her usual chair in front of his desk. A sudden realization came to Alice, an insight of his behaviour.

"I'm scared", she said. The old man looked on her with concern behind his half-moon shaped glasses. "I don't want to stay, but I have nowhere else to go."

"There's always a place for everyone", professor Dumbledore said. Before he got a chance to say anything more, she spoke again.

"I want to be everything he needs me to be. I want to please him, but I do not longer understand." She took a deep breath. "I cannot see the difference between us and them."

"That's because there are no differences", the old man said. He gently rubbed his black, right hand. "Who defines us? Our selves or our forefathers?" She didn't replay, it wasn't necessary.

"He's put a piece of himself in you, hasn't he?" Alice avoided Dumbledore's gaze. "You felt it grow in you inside the Chamber of secrets. That's why you cursed Hermione Granger, because you couldn't control you raging emotions."

"Even if he did, I cannot be a part of this world", Alice said. It wasn't something to argue about. She knew it, Dumbledore knew it. "I'm going to take my life before this is over."

"It's very brave of you to make such a decision", he said, trying not to sound too sad.

"I can take them back, you know", she said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Spells."

"What do you mean?"

"I can take it back. If someone dies, I can make them undead."

"To what price?"

"A part of my life, for theirs." Dumbledore looked at the younger girl in concern. She looked tired, as if something wasn't right.

"You already have", he said, leaning in to her. She nodded.

"No human, other creatures that didn't deserve to die."

"What's the price for taking a human back?"

"Everything", she said, trying to keep the tears away. "How do I decide? How do I know whose worth saving?"

"Someone you love, perhaps", said Dumbledore. He was trying to comfort her in some way.

"Do you mind speaking of something else sir?" Alice said and looked down in the floor. She'd been thinking about it for a while, but to announce it out loud made it so real.

"School, Alice", Dumbledore said. "I know you feel most subjects are worthless and you can read or figure out most yourself. But this is a school and attending to class, in your school uniform, might do you some good." Alice smiled. It might do her some good; take her mind of things for a moment.

"Of course, sir", she said softly and smiled.

"Go eat some lunch", he said and made a small gesture towards the door behind Alice. "And remember, you have herbology at one o' clock." Once again Alice smiled before she got up and made way down to the Great Hall. Not many was still left when she got there, she reckoned most had gone to class or to the common rooms. Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise and Draco sat at the far end of the Slytherin table. She didn't feel like speaking to either of them and sat down by herself instead.

"Hey gorgeous." Alice looked up and met Harpers smiling face. "Why are you sitting here by yourself?" He sat down opposite to Alice and took a clean plate and started loading on food on it.

"Blaise and I..." Alice stared; she wasn't sure what to say really.

"I know", Harper said and put a comforting hand upon Alice's. "Everyone does, Pansy overheard you and spread the word", Harper explained. Alice didn't know if she should be upset or grateful, it saved her from a lot of unpleasant questions but instead rumour spread.

"Oh", she simple said and glazed in Blaise's direction. The boys got up from their seats and headed towards the exit.

"I know this might seem a bit soon, but I really need to say this", said Harper and regained her attention. Alice looked back at the group of boys; Blaise met her gaze but quickly looked away.

"Are you doing anything this Friday?" Harper asked.

"No, not that I can think of", Alice said without removing her gaze from the other boys. Draco strolled after and headed her direction without really looking at her.

"Would you like to meet up and, um, do something?" Alice looked back at Harper, was he asking her out?

"It's a bit soon..." Alice said. But then she changed her mind. "But sure, I'll see you later", she said and smiled. Harper couldn't look more overjoyed.

"Great!" He said, a bit in surprise and gave a warm smile back. Alice got up and started walking away from the table and him.

"Alice", Draco started. Alice looked at him with her big, blue eyes with no particular expression. "Don't walk away", he said and grabbed her arm. Alice did as he asked, and she stood still.

"Whatever you have to say, say it quick. I don't have much time before class", Alice hissed at him. What would he possibly have to say to her? She made him forget, she made him change his mind.

"How are you?" He asked and smiled shyly.

"Fine", she said and started walking. He caught up with her hasty paste and they made their way through the crowd.

"Harper, do you know him?" Draco asked; he wasn't quite sure what he meant with that.

"Well enough to go on a date with him", Alice answered. Draco stopped, Alice didn't. He watched her move away from him, through the crowd, not even noticing his unexpected absence. Date, with him, after just a few days? This couldn't be happening.

.

"Alice..?" Daphne asked and looked over her book at Alice in the empty common room.

"Hmm?" Alice asked, without looking up from hers.

"You know when we spoke earlier, like a week ago or something?" Daphne continued. Alice put down her book and watched her friend closely. "And you spoke of cleansing out...?"

"Yeah Daphne, I remember that", Alice said and tilted up her book again.

"Well, I've been thinking... We haven't tossed pie at any mudbloods, we haven't done anything really", Daphne said. She was thinking so fast Alice could have sworn smoke came out Daphne's ears. "Who was it we didn't want in our world?"

"The one who think they're above us, those who are trying to telling us what to do", Alice explained.

"Wouldn't that include all the teachers?" Daphne asked. "And, perhaps, the ministry and..."

"Go on, Daphne", Alice encouraged her.

"Your father?" Daphne was a bit afraid it might upset her, make her mad.

"Yes, it would", Alice said and smiled softly at her. "Well, we don't really have to destroy the teachers, I mean. It's their job to educate us and tell us things. And we're not really bothered by them when we get out of here."

"But what about the mudbloods?"

"Well, I don't really have a problem with them as long as they don't have one with me", Alice said, "don't get me wrong. I wouldn't go marry one and I do not see them as real witches and wizards. But why bother when we already know how much superior we are?" Daphne looked down in her book again, biting on her bottom lip.

"And as for my father. No need really, he is going to be his own destruction." Daphne smiled and they both picked up their books again.

"I don't get it", Blaise said and slammed his book in the table. Both Alice and Daphne tilted their books down as well. "I thought we would be joining your father?"

"Yeah, what about that?" Daphne filled in.

"I have a plan for us, don't worry", Alice said and smiled. They all picked up their books once more.

"Alice?" said Blaise and glanced at her over the edge of his book. Alice looked up and met his eyes. "I'm really glad you're not mad at me."

"I am mad at you", Alice said. "On the inside, my heart is crying and reading sad romance novels." Both Daphne and Blaise started laughing. Alice took her book and threw it at Daphne.

"It's not funny! I swear it's reading _The sorrows of Young Werther_", Alice yelled with a smile.

"So your heart's going to kill itself?" Blaise teased her.

"Yeah, but I'm a witch so I can mend it before it dies!" Alice pouted with her mouth and picked up yet another book from the table and hid behind it.

"Oh god, I have to pee", Daphne laughed before she disappeared.

"You're one of my best friends Alice, I'd like it to stay that way", Blaise said, completely serious. "You never really loved me that much anyway", he continued and tried to not sound to hurt.

"But you do", Alice said and put her hand on his. "If there's anything I can do..." He smiled and took her hand.

"Be happy, alright?" Alice nodded and they both returned to their books once more.


	28. Chapter 28

So, I was a bit unsure of this chapter after I wrote it. At the time I felt very loving and emotional in some weird way. Anyway, so I like parts of it whilst other parts is a bit... blah... I still hope you'll enjoy it though. :)

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Chapter 28

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Friday afternoon and the sun was shining. Alice was walking down the lawn that still was brown from the winter. A few flower buds could be seen here and there. Most of the trees were starting to bud up as well. Harper had requested to meet her by the Qudditch pitch at six-thirty. He'd been very secretive and hadn't told her more than that she should skip dinner and not where a dress. She'd braided her hair and put on a pair of tight jeans. Even though they knew each other rather well and they'd been together in this way before, Alice felt a bit nervous. She hadn't told Blaise either much to Daphne's disapproval. As Alice got to the pitch, she wasn't sure if she was to go in the stalls or on the field itself. A small note was attached to the Slytherin locker room door. She opened it and smiled as she read. It told her to go through the locker room and out on the field. Alice had never been in the locker room before but stepped in curiously. It was a bit bigger than she'd imagined and a thin wall separated the one side from the other. She noticed small signs with names on them sitting on the wall above hooks. By each hook stood a broom and a set of clothes hung on them. Blaise Zabini, she smiled. It felt like yesterday she'd seen him play for the first time. Dear, sweet Blaise. She missed him. His smile, his touch, even his voice. Next to him hung Draco Malfoy. The only one she missed more than Blaise. A part of her regretted the memory change. But it had to be done. Alice reached out and touched the robe, it felt smooth but cold. Cold as if it hadn't been worn for a long time. With a sigh, she let the fabric slip through her fingers before she walked out on the playing field. On the middle of it, not far from herself was a blanked with a basked placed on it. She smiled and walked up to it.

"Alice", Alice turned around and smiled towards him, "you're early." They gave each other a friendly hug.

"I know, I'm sorry", she said and bit her bottom lip.

"Don't be. It'll just give us some more time before the night ends", he smiled and showed her to take a seat at the blanket.

"Why are we at the Quidditch pitch?" Alice asked. Harper started unpacking the basket; it contained all kinds of food and drink.

"You made all of this?" Alice asked and looked down on the load of food.

"No", he said and blushed, "I can't cook. A house elf helped me. She seemed to recognize your name."

"A small elf, abnormally big eyes, floppy ears and a squeaky voice?" He nodded. "It's Beth, I know her."

"She was indeed very nice, and helpful", Harper said and stared unpacking the food he'd brought. "And as for your question to why we are here", he continued with a smile, "I just wanted to show you a part of my dream."

"Quidditch?" Alice asked. They started eating of the wonderful food Beth had made them.

"Yeah", Harper said and looked around the arena. "I've always wanted to be a seeker."

"Why aren't you on the team?" Alice asked. "Permanently?"

"In Slytherin it is more about who you know then how good you are. Malfoy's been on the team four years now and he's good", he explained. "I haven't got much to say about it, being a year younger and everything."

"If you want, I could talk to him."

"No it's fine; he said he was giving his spot for me in the end of the year anyway so", Harper said and shrugged his shoulders before he took a far too big bite of his food. Alice couldn't believe it, but she was actually having a nice time. Harper's company was much more enjoyable that it might seem.

"You like doing things, right?" Harper reassured himself. Alice nodded and smiled. "Not just sit and talk all day, right?"

"No, I do rather enjoy activities of the other kind", Alice said and put down the cup she was holding in. "What have you planned?"

"Well, dates are to get to know one another", Harper said and got up. "And I wanted to share my passion with you." He helped Alice on her feet and they walked to the side of the playing field, where two brooms stood by the wall. Harper reached one to Alice and mounted the other one.

"Jake?" Alice said, her voice filled with insecurity. Harper turned and looked at her. "I've only ridden a broom once before", she said with a crooked smile.

"You know how to step on it?" He asked and walked up to her. Alice mounted the broom, just like Harper had done seconds before. "And then you just kick", he said and smiled. Alice did as he said, and kicked. The only problem was that she didn't know how to make it stop.

"Jake, how do I make it stop?" she called down to him, his figure was getting smaller and smaller by the second.

"Just straighten up!" He yelled back. Straighten up, as if that was easy. The height got to Alice as she glanced down towards the ground. If she were to fall, she'd be absolutely dead. Then the broom suddenly stopped. Harper had gotten a firm grip around the top of it.

"You didn't think I'd leave you to join the stars, did you?" he smiled comforting. "C'mon, I'll help you down a bit." Harper steered their brooms towards the ground in a slow pace that was rather enjoyable. They landed softly on the ground and Alice breathed out in relief.

"Sorry, I'm spoiling our date", Alice said and stepped of the broom.

"No, you're not", Harper said, smiled and took her hand for a moment. "Come here, I'll teach you", he said and pulled her to him. "Step on in front of me." Alice did as he said. "Ready?"

"Ready", Alice answered and he kicked from the ground. They flew a few yards over the ground. He took her hands and placed them on the brooms handle. Then he placed one of his hands on top of hers and the other one around her waist.

"Here we go", he said and speeded up. They rode around the area and Alice enjoyed how the cool wind blew through her hair. She'd never realised how amazing it was or how free she felt. No wonder this was Harper's dream. Harper steered the broom up as they pushed the speed limit. Before they knew it they'd passed the clouds and nothing but a sky filled with stars lay before them.

"It's beautiful", Alice said and looked over the clear sky.

"I'm glad you like it", Harper said. "Blimey", he whispered to himself.

"What?" It was hard not to hear him as they were practically on top of each other.

"They have Quidditch practise at eight, I promised we'd be out of here by then", he said and started flying down.

"What time is it?"

"Seven fifty." They landed quickly and started packing the food in the basket. The Slytherin Quidditch team started entering the field from their locker room. Blaise and Draco came out last. Alice watched how they walked over the field, towards the centre. They were so alike in some way; the same proud posture, the fact that they were the thinnest and tallest ones in the team and the gentle, almost unnoticeable glimpse in their eyes. Alice grabbed their things and walked swiftly towards the exit.

"Hey, Alice!" Crabbe waved enthusiastic to her, and she waved very quickly back. Out of nowhere both Blaise and Draco stood in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" Blaise asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I –" Alice was interrupted as Harper got up next to her, putting an arm around her.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" He said and shook both of their hands.

"This is your date?" Draco asked. "Alice is your date?" He looked offended, hurt and confused all at once. And the worst was probably that Blaise looked just as hurt as Draco did. Why did they care? One of them broke up with her and the other one was supposed to not care.

"What do you care?" Alice asked harshly. "It's none of your business."

"Yeah, whatever", he said and walked away.

"See you later", said Blaise and before he followed Draco, he gave Alice a long, longing look.

"Do you want to stay and watch the practise?" Harper asked, he hadn't taken notice of any of the events that just had played out in front of them.

"Um, yeah", Alice said, a bit stunned from everything. "Sure." They walked through the locker room and up to the stalls. They sat down on one of the benches and watched as the practice started.

"Is everything alright?" Harper asked and took her hand. Alice decided that it would be better to bring it up already.

"Jacob, this has been great..." He interrupted her with a smile.

"But I'm not him", he filled in and squeezed her hand. "I know. I've really enjoyed this evening but I think I speak for both of us when I say we shouldn't be more then friends."

"I'm sorry", Alice said, she felt guilty. He gently stroked her cheek.

"I'd love to be with you, you're brilliant and beautiful..."

"Thank you, Jake", Alice said. They looked each other in the eyes before Alice gave him a quick peek on the mouth. He looked confused but couldn't help but smile. "Just so I knew what I was skipping out on." He leaned in and kissed her, this time more passionate and intensely.

"Yeah, friends", he said and held out his hand. She took it and smiled.

"Friends."

.

"We hate Harper", Draco said and stopped his broom next to Blaise's.

"You bet", Blaise said, they both fixated their gaze down to where Alice and Harper were sitting.

"You want to smash a bludger in his head?" Blaise asked.

"Oh yeah." The boys looked at each other with a smirk. "I'm glad we're friends again."

"I thought you ought to be with her by now", Blaise said and watched Draco closely. "Don't you love her?" Draco didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure anymore to be honest. In fact, he hadn't even thought about it. She was Alice, did he have to say more?

"Do you not love her?" Blaise asked when he realised he wasn't going to get an answer.

"No, I..."

"You can't put words on it", Blaise filled in.

"I've got to go", Draco said and left Blaise hanging by himself in the air. Blaise flew down and jumped of his broomstick. He was angry, with himself, with Draco and with Alice. This was all his fault to begin with. Never fall on love with someone that loves someone else. If it'd only been that easy. As he got in to the locker room, all of the others had already left. Blaise pulled the garment over his head and hung it on his hook.

"Blaise..." He turned at the sound of her voice.

"Where's your new boyfriend?" He asked and put on the shirt. He got this tingling feeling in his stomach at the same time as he got a lump in his throat.

"He's not my new boyfriend", Alice said and stepped in to the room.

"Okey, your future boyfriend", Blaise said. He tried to button his shirt but failed miserably as his hands were shaking too much.

"He is never going to be my boyfriend, Blaise", Alice said and walked up to him. She stopped before him and started buttoning his shirt.

"Of course, that's why you kissed him", he mumbled and turned away as soon as Alice had buttoned the last button.

"He's not you", Alice said and took a grip around Blaise's wrist. "That's why."

"Why are you doing this to me, Alice?" He pulled his wrist out of her grip.

"I miss you."

"Why do you kiss another guy not two weeks after our breakup? And why do you tell me this?"

"Because!" Alice forced him to turn to her.

"Because what? Don't you get that it hurts?" He was angry and he was going to let it all out. They stood quiet. Alice waited for him to calm down a bit.

"Because I'm in love with you", Alice said. It felt just as good as if felt bad. She opened the doors to her castle, letting him in. And it made her vulnerable. "And I can't stand another day without you." He dropped the jumper he was holding in his hands and just looked at her with surprise. This was not what he expected, especially not from her. With two small steps he was by her, he put one arm around her waist and the other around her neck before he kissed her. Oh, how he'd been longing to do that again. And when she put her hands around him, it felt just as it used to do. Almost anyway. They didn't realise that they had been moving until Alice hit the wall behind her. They continued kissing each other with the same passion as before. Blaise was the one to break the kiss. He needed a moment to breath.

"Is everything alright?" Alice asked and caressed his cheek. He bent down and kissed her neck and she pulled her fingers through his short hair. Alice started unbuttoning the shirt she so recently had buttoned and pulled her cold hands over his warm, tight upper body. Blaise kissed her on the mouth again. They'd never been so passionate when they were together.

"Alice", Blaise said between the kisses. "Alice, we can't." He stopped kissing her and leaned his forehead on hers.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner…"

"It doesn't matter Alice, because we can't be together", he said and looked her in the eyes. "We aren't meant to be together. I think we need some time apart." Blaise turned away from her, picked up his jumper and his jacket before he left her alone. Alice slid down the wall and pulled her legs to her chin as she hit the floor. Tears started to fall down her face; this was a battle she couldn't win.

.

"Are you mad at me?" Daphne stood next to Alice in the Great Hall.

"No", said Alice in confusion. "Why would I be?" Daphne sat down next to her and shot an evil glare over the table at Harper.

"You practically ran when you saw me and Blaise", she whispered.

"I'll see you later, Jake?" He smiled and waved her off as she pulled Daphne away from the table. "I didn't run from you."

"Blaise? You ran in to him on the date yesterday?" Daphne asked. "I knew you should have told him!"

"Daphne! Daphne", Alice said and took a firm grip of her shoulders. "It's not that."

"What then?" Alice looked around, to make sure no one they knew was nearby.

"We kissed."

"You and Harper kissed? Big surprise..." Daphne said and rolled her eyes.

"No, me and Blaise", said Alice in frustration of how slow her friend was acting today. "I realised, we not being together and all, that I'm in love with him."

"Gone and gotten yourself soft, Gaunt?" Alice turned, only to stand face to face with Pansy Parkinson. "Draco said you had changed."

"It's funny that you and your boyfriend pass all your time together speaking about another girl, Parkinson", Alice sneered at her. "One might think he doesn't love you anymore." Pansy pulled out her wand and pointed it at Alice.

"Take it back", she threatened.

"Or what? Are we really going down that road again?" Alice hissed. Apparently Pansy didn't want to go down that road again as she lowered her wand and fled in a hurry.

"Blimey, you're on it today", said Daphne and smiled. Alice started walking down the corridor again, leaving Daphne behind. She wasn't in the mood for anything, or anyone for that matter. An owl landed on a bench next to her, with a letter attached to its foot. Alice walked up to the owl and took the letter. _Alice Gaunt, _it said with a thin, meandering handwriting. She opened the letter and read it. Three simple words adorned the parchment.

_It is finished._

It didn't have to say more than that for Alice to understand. She put the paper in her inner pocket and snapped with her fingers. She landed on the first step of the stair leading down to the cellar in Malfoy Manors. No one seemed to be at home, but Alice walked as quietly as she could down the stair and through the iron gate.

"Mr Ollivander?" Alice spoke through the darkness. She heard a cough and hurried deeper inside the cellar. "Lumos", she said after pulling out her wand. Another light lit at the far end.

"Alice?" A weak voice called. Alice hurried down to the light and didn't stop until she was right next to it.

"Mr Ollivander", Alice said and helped the old man sit up straight. "I got your letter." He smiled weakly and held up the glowing wand towards her.

"I couldn't risk sending it to you", he said and smiled. A moment of silence followed as Alice took the wand from him. It felt just right in her hand. It was beautiful carved, much more detailed than the one she had.

"You seek power", Mr Ollivander said and watched her closely. "Yet you do not wish to conquer. What is it that drives you?" Alice smiled at the old man, a kind, warm smile.

"For the same reason you made this wand for me", she said. He looked at her in surprise. "Love conquers us all at some point, even me."


	29. Chapter 29

I'm sorry for the long wait for this chapter, and I do want to apologize for how short it is as well. A lost my inspiration for a day or two but I'm sure it has found its way back by now. :) Thank all of you who are still reading my story and thank you to those who is reviewing. I do have two special thanks this chapter as I got two wonderful reviews. The first one is as always from JucyLucy921 who always leaves me with a smile. And the second one was from Ophidianvoix; I am sorry for not have reviewed yours, I do like reading it and finds it very inspirational. You should all check it out actually; .net/s/7448421/1/Love_is_Void_Tom_Riddle_and_Eve_Sinclaire

Cheers! :)

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Chapter 29

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"Do you mind?" Ginny asked. She combed her hair with her fingers, to get it in place from the harsh wind.

"No, not at all", Alice said and made room next to her at the bench.

"Oh, you've got a new wand", said Ginny with surprise.

"Yes, this one suits me quite better", Alice said and smiled.

"You missed class", Ginny said and held out a bunch of papers towards Alice. "Professor McGonagall asked me to give you this, it's all that you've missed in most of the subjects." Alice took the papers and tried to put it in her bag. "And the OWL's are coming up soon", Ginny said, she was a bit worried.

"Hi Ginny." The girl that spoke was one of the oddest persons Alice had seen in a while. The girl had long, dirty-blond hair and she had a constant expression of surprise in her face.

"Oh, hi Luna", Ginny said and smiled.

"Wow, your aura is big", Luna said and looked directly at Alice. Most people had a hard time looking directly at her the first time they met.

"Pardon me?" Alice said, as she didn't fully understand what Luna meant.

"Your magical aura", Luna said with a dreaming expression on her face. "Every person has one, it's like the air around them vibrates. You make a lot of air vibrate." Alice couldn't decide if this was some sort of odd compliment or not. "A lot of people must want to please you", she continued with the same dreaming expression as before.

"Why would you say that?" Alice asked and watched her carefully. She seemed to return to this world and smiled.

"Strong and big auras often makes people insecure, and they seek comfort with those who have them", she said. "Bye." And the odd girl trotted off.

"Bye", Alice said, absolutely fascinated with the girl.

"I'm sorry about that. Luna is very nice but she's got ideas..." Ginny started.

"I liked her", Alice said and picked up her bag. "I've got to go", she said and left Ginny alone at the bench. Most students were outside, leaving the corridors rather empty. Most of those who Alice passed were too busy with each other to even notice her. The girl, Luna, must have been wrong. There was nothing big or strong about her. She was just an ordinary girl, like anyone else. Except... Alice caught up with Luna soon enough.

"Excuse me", Alice said and grabbed Luna's shoulder. "What do you mean with a strong aura?"

"Yours remind me a lot of professor Dumbledore's aura", Luna said. "People will listen to what you have to say." And once again Luna left Alice confused and by herself. Listen? Even if they did, what did she have to say? An echoing scream sounded trough the corridor and interrupted Alice's thoughts.

"Are you psyched or what?" Daphne jumped up and down. "The game?" She reminded Alice when Alice didn't respond in the way she wanted.

"We're not even playing", Alice said, a bit confused over Daphne's excitement.

"Come on! Let's go, let's go!" Daphne said and pulled Alice with her down the hallway. "I can't wait to see those Hufflepuff's squash Gryffindor's faces!"

"So we're rooting for Hufflepuff then? Great", Alice said, trying to sound excited.

"Oh don't be grumpy", Daphne said with a big smile as they walked down the lawn towards the Quidditch pitch. "Is there some place other you'd rather be?"

"I guess not", Alice said and looked over the landscape. The weather was nice, rather warm and the sun was shining through the thick clouds occasionally.

"Alice!" Alice turned to see Blaise, in company with Draco a few yards away. He waved in a motion to make her come to him. A lump took place in her stomach and throat. Wasn't he the one who had said they needed time apart? What if he'd changed his mind? It had been almost two weeks.

"I'll save you a seat", Daphne said and started walking to the pitch again. Alice walked up towards the boys, but as she got closer Blaise disappeared leaving her alone with Draco. Her heart started pounding. Is it possible to love two different persons at once? For a moment she hesitated, she could just run and leave him there. But then again... She held up her smile and stopped in front of him.

"How are you?" He asked, looking down on the ground. He looked dashing as always in the black suit in contrast to his light skin and hair.

"I'm fine, thank you", Alice said and smiled. It had become a bit of a habit, the smile and the positive answers. "And you? How are _things_ going?" He threw his head up with a frown, glaring suspiciously at her.

"Are you really asking me about that?" He said grimly.

"I don't have much else to say to you", Alice replied coldly. She needed to be cold; she needed to send him off.

"You used to tell me everything", he said in a whisper.

"Well, that changed." She bit him off; he was supposed to do the same. Something wasn't right, something had gone wrong.

"I've noticed", he said, just as coldly as she. That's what she'd been looking for. That was the way he was supposed to speak to her. "I'm only here because Blaise asked me to speak with you anyway", he said and turned to walk away from here.

"Draco?" She called after him; he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Don't mind me, you'll be fine."

"Whatever Alice", he said and continued to walk. She looked around, no one was there. The match was about to begin. Two small girls closed up with Draco halfway up to the castle. Harry Potter encountered with them before he hurried away, down to the locker room to change. Alice waited; she didn't want to run in to Potter or his merry friends, or anyone else for that matter. The match had begun when Alice decided to join Daphne again. She could hear the voice of the same girl she'd been talking to just earlier that day in the speakers. Alice walked up the stairs to in the stalls and stopped just as she was to enter it. Daphne sat next to Blaise, and they were having a really good time. She'd never thought about it before, the fact that Blaise and Daphne were just as much friends as they were with her. It was always her and Daphne, her and Blaise or all three of them. All came to her, why shouldn't they be friends just because she and Blaise weren't together anymore? With a smile on her face, Alice ran down the stairs and left the Quidditch pitch and its cheers behind. They wouldn't mind, they had each other. And they were probably much better off without her.

"Ah, Miss Gaunt!" professor Slughorn said as they got closer to one another. "I took a nap and overslept, what is your excuse for not being at the game?" he said and chuckled.

"Friendship, sir", Alice said and smiled at the old man.

"I haven't seen you in class for some time. Don't mean to talk down, but it's been rather dull not having you or your talent there", he said.

"I'm afraid I don't have a good reason for that, sir", Alice said and smiled innocently. "But I assure you, professor that I will be joining in for class again."

"Well, well", he said and smiled brightly. "Oh, I almost forgot. Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office when you got time." They said good-bye before Alice took off towards the castle. She was so used going up to the headmasters' office she didn't really had to think much. Her feet just carried her the long way up the stairs; she spoke the password on routine and stepped on the twirling staircase. Three knocks on the door and as always a "come in" sounded from inside the room.

"It's nice that you joined me so quick", professor Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Well, I didn't have much else to do", Alice said and sat down in front of his desk.

"I would like to talk with you about your friends…"

"What Blaise and Daph…?" Alice silenced herself and looked at him in confusion.

"Friends might not be the right term." Dumbledore smiled his smile again and clutched his hands together under his chin.

"Oh, those ones", Alice said. She had completely forgotten about them. They used to come to her but it had been a while since she'd seen them around. "I haven't seen them in a while", she admitted.

"No, they adapt to what you do very quickly", professor Dumbledore said. "Much like others they must have noticed the change in you after the Christmas holidays and now they're skipping more classes than you are."

"What have they done?"

"Well, since you haven't held them tightly enough in their leach they've been doing what they think you want them to."

"Such as?" Alice felt a bit offended by how Dumbledore was treating her, it felt like combination of her being both lower and stupider than him.

"Attacking muggle-born students", professor Dumbledore said. "I know you're only trying to protect him by creating a distraction to take the attention away from…"

"I'm not protecting anyone and I'm not creating a distraction!" Alice interrupted him. They sat quiet for several minutes after that.

"What do you know about auras?" Alice asked. Dumbledore lit up in curiosity for the subject she'd brought up.

"Well, there are many different kinds of auras and very many different kind of people who believe in them", he said and straightened up in his chair.

"Magical auras?" Alice filled in.

"Some people claim that a magical aura can be felt in the air around them. A muggle, for instance, would not affect the air since they posses no magic whilst a wizard or witch would in some way affect the air", he explained.

"Create a vibration?"

"Something in that direction, yes."

"So if someone would have a big magical aura, it would be rather impossible for them to hide?"

"No Alice, I don't think so. Most wizards are to ignorant to even take notice of things like auras", he comforted her.

"Are there things that can increase auras or make them weaker?" Alice asked, she couldn't take the risk that someone would sense hers. And if it was true, what the girl had told her, hers was easily detected.

"Emotions, if someone is very upset or sad it could either increase or decrease someone's power. A thoughtful silence fell over them as Alice mended his words.

"I could heal it, you know", Alice said and looked down on his burnt hand. "I could take the curse away."

"What would happen to you if you did?"

"I would linger on me for some time, make me sick probably. It wouldn't take hold, if that's what you are asking", Alice said.

"An old man knows when his time has come, Alice. Don't worry about me", Dumbledore said and smiled. "Ah, don't worry", he said when he saw Alice's expression. "You don't have to worry about young Mr. Malfoy either. It is taken care of." Alice sat quiet with a vague smile on her face.

"The picture of the cave you gave me, what was that about?" professor Dumbledore asked.

"Forgive me sir, but someone as brilliant as you. I thought you'd figured it out by now", Alice said and leaned in towards him. "It's a part of a memory from someone we both know", she whispered. Alice stood up and walked through the room, this time it was she that decided the meeting had come to an end.

"Well, thank you for the picture", professor Dumbledore said. Alice glanced over her shoulder, he'd figured it out.

"What picture, professor Dumbledore?" She said with a smile before leaving the room.


	30. Chapter 30

So, I know this chapter isn't one of the longer ones. But I do think a lot of things happen in it so I decided to cut it here. I just want to tell you all, we still have a long way to go before I'm finished. I've actually already written the end and I know mostly what will happen in the story further on. A bit more fun information might be that I've read the sixth book 3 times, and marked everything that has to do with this story, and I've also watched the sixth film about thirty to forty times. God, I doesn't seem like I have a life, do it?

Well, thank you again for reading and reviewing and special thanks again to JuicyLucy921 who still makes me smile and ophidianvoix, or Hanson (as you sign your review with); That's exactly the way I try portraying Alice and I'm glad you see her that way, it's just spot on! Thank you for taking notice of it :)

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Chapter 30

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The weather had cleared up and the sun was shining brightly. Alice felt rather exhilarated just because of that. The corridors were once again filled with students as the game had ended not long ago. Hufflepuff had won, a big win too.

"Where did you go?" Daphne stood by the wall that Alice passed and started walking next to her. "I saved you a seat but you never showed."

"I'm sorry Daph, something got in the way", Alice said, she had no plan in telling Daphne about what she really had been doing, neither that she'd seen the two of them having such a great time and that that was the reason she'd left.

"I know, you spoke to Draco", Daphne said with a cunning smile. "What did he say?"

"We had a fight", said Alice, to Daphne's disappointment. "We just don't go well together at the moment."

"Don't say that", Daphne tried and put a hand on her shoulder.

"No Daph", Alice said and shook it of her. "I'm not going to deny what's right in front of me just because I don't want it to be like that."

"If you say so..." Daphne seemed to give up, for the moment. Alice knew she was going to bring the subject up later as well. They walked down the stairs to the dungeons and walked through the wall in to the Slytherin Common room. It was crowded of all of the student's that had returned from the game.

"Where did Blaise go?" Daphne asked and looked around the room. Alice had no idea and she wasn't going to find out either.

Blaise Zabini was strolling around in another part of the castle, consumed by his own thoughts. He was heading in to the boy's lavatory on the third floor, mostly because it most of the time was empty and he needed some time for himself. But as he got inside there was two voices that could be heard.

"Everything is just..." Blaise stood still, Draco was the one speaking, and the one Blaise had meant to talk to.

"Just what? You know you can talk to me", the other one said. It was a girl, but Blaise had no idea who the voice belonged to.

"No I can't!" Draco answered. "I can't talk to anyone anymore!" He was on the brink of crying. "Everything is going to pieces, it's too hard..." Blaise moved in to the room, just to see who he was speaking to. "We had a fight again, today", Draco then said.

"You shouldn't bother with _her, _she doesn't appreciate you the way others do..." The girl speaking was a ghost, moaning Myrtle if Blaise was correct.

"You don't get it", roared Draco to her. "Hell, I don't even get it..."

"Someone's here", Myrtle suddenly said. Blaise stepped out from his hiding place and walked up to the pair.

"We need to talk", Blaise said and Myrtle disappeared in a crying scream. Draco hurried to wipe of his face and then turned to Blaise.

.

It was getting late, but Alice had decided to take a walk around the castle before going to bed. It'd reached March already. Not a year ago none of this had existed in her life. She'd just been a plain girl, with a rather easy, quiet life. A muggle-life to reckon, but a good one nonetheless.

"Is it true?" Alice stopped and turned around.

"Is what true?" She replied with a sigh. Draco walked up to her and looked her deeply in the eyes. Alice felt her breath go uneven, his beautiful eyes and the smell of his wonderful cologne, it all made her shiver. But not enough for him to notice.

"Are you in love with him?" Draco asked, his tone was low almost whispering and he hesitated when he spoke. "Are you in love with Blaise?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that any of your business?" Draco slammed his hand on the wall next to her.

"Damn it Alice, why are you in love with him?" Alice blinked several times before even thinking about answering. His eyes were focused on something, but she couldn't tell what. And his breathing was heavy, why did this make him so upset?

"I have to, so that I..." _So that I what? Don't spend all my waking time thinking of you? So that I don't regret not being with you?_ No, it was all stupid. She couldn't tell him, he couldn't know.

"So that you...?" His voice was soft again, like it used to be when he spoke to her. Draco lifted the other hand and took a bit of hair and put it back to its place. For less than half a second his gaze flickered down to her lips before it returned to her eyes.

"Because I have to be", Alice said and broke free from him.

"So it's not because he's nice or handsome or special...?"

"That too..."

"Stupify!" Draco shot away from her and landed on the floor a few yards away. "Sorry, it looked as if he was rude", Neville Longbottom said with his wand stretched out. Alice smiled at him quickly and turned to Draco again.

"Draco, get over yourself. You're not even half the man he is." It hurt him, his facial expression told so. She had to stay away from him if it was going to be like this. Alice turned and walked passed Neville, who instantly closed up with her. For a second she could have sworn she'd seen two pair of eyes, just behind the corner. Alice picked up her paste and rounded the corner. No one was there.

"Are you alright?" Neville asked as he caught up with Alice. "I heard the when he hit the wall and got worried and then I saw you two..."

"I'm fine, Neville, thank you", Alice said and smiled. "And don't worry, he needed that."

"How you've been? I haven't seen you around for a while", Neville said. Alice felt trust in him, a sort of trust she only felt in a few others. She needed him to do something and that required the truth, fully.

"I need to tell you something", Alice said and pulled him in to an empty classroom. "Actually, I need you to do something for me."

"Of course, what do you need me to do?"

"Whatever I tell you, remember that you promised me you'll do this", Alice said and Neville nodded. "Do you know who I am?" Neville looked a bit unsure of himself.

"Well", he finally said. "Ginny and I have been talking about it..."

"It's true", Alice said to encourage him. "The rumours you've heard. I am _his _only child." Neville stood quiet and just watched her. "Even though you know this, you're not afraid?"

"You're too nice to be his daughter", Neville said and smiled. "But I know it's true. And I don't fear you, you wouldn't harm me."

"Not many knows about this, so you can't tell anyone, understand?" Neville nodded once more. "The reason my father could come back, the reason he didn't die forever those years ago is because he has put parts of his soul in other objects. Keeping them unharmed, keeping them safe... He has put one piece in me." Alice made a pause. "And if I'm not dead when Harry Potter is about to defeat him I need you to find me and kill me." Neville straightened up.

"No", he said firmly.

"You promised", Alice pushed.

"No, I won't let you..."

"Everyone's giving something up for this!" Alice interrupted him. "Everyone's giving a part of themselves to win this war. Let me do the same."

"There's a difference between giving something up and sacrificing you're life, Alice!" They stood quiet for a moment, just glaring at one another.

"Let me protect those who I love, just as you'll protect those you love", Alice begged, her voice was quiet and calm. She pleaded with all her heart to him. "Please."

"Is there no other way?" Alice shook her head. "Why do you want me to do it? Can't you just ask someone closer, like Daphne Greengrass or Draco Malfoy or..."

"None of them would understand, and none of them will know exactly when it needs to be done. If it hasn't already happened." Neville looked at her suspiciously.

"Fine", he then said and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll do it if I can't find another way", he continued before leaving the room. It was what had to be done. She needed to get rid of him in some way, and that would be the last way out.

.

"You seem distant", Daphne said and pushed down Alice's book.

"I sort of am, I was reading", Alice said and held up the book. Daphne smiled a crocked smile before turning serious again.

"Not that kind of distant", she said. "Is something bothering you?"

"I haven't been sleeping well the last few days", Alice said. The common room was crowded and no one paid any attention to the two girls in the corner. "Promise you won't tell anyone..."

"Alice, you're like a sister to me. I wouldn't dream of telling", said Daphne to comfort her.

"I've had this dream, and it worries me", Alice said without looking Daphne in the eyes. "In the dream, I'm at the Malfoy Manor, in the sitting room; Draco is there, my father and you. It always starts with a fight between you and me which ends in you leaving. After that everything just erupts..."

"How does it end?" Daphne asked.

"It ends with a choice", Alice swallowed hard, "between my life, and his." Alice glanced over to the sofa where he was sitting. He looked up and their eyes met in a sad, longing look before he broke it. It'd been five days since they had the fight.

"Draco dies in the dream?" Daphne asked to make everything clear.

"No, it never comes to that. What do you think it means?" Daphne smiled and put a hand on Alice's.

"It means you're afraid of losing him." Alice looked over at the sofa again. At Draco, and the ones around him. At Pansy that was clinging on to his side, constantly smiling in a silly sort of way.

"I already have."

.

Alice woke up, her entire body was wet from the bad dream she had. The same dream she'd had for days. This one was a bit different though. She pulled the sweater over her head and took out a new one from her trunk. The three other girls in the room were sleeping heavily. She put on a pair of nice socks and snuck out through the door. She looked down the corridor; the fire was still alive in the common room. To make sure no one would see her she followed the wall and looked around in the room. Someone was asleep in the sofa. It was Blaise, for a moment she was to wake him and tell him to go to bed. But she changed her mind and put a blanket over his body. It was just as good that he wasn't in bed. Alice went on her toes back through the corridor but turned right instead of left. She opened the door in to the boy's dormitory, it was darker than inside her own room, but a candle was lit by the bed furthest away. She needed to see him; she needed to know he was alright.

"Draco?" She whispered and walked, silently, over to the bed by the lit candle.

"Yes", he grunted and put his face in the pillow. "What time is it? It feels like it's two in the morning."

"I can't sleep", said Alice and bit her bottom lip.

"That makes two of us", Draco said through the pillow. "Just go to your bed and close your eyes", he continued before turning away from her in the bed.

"I had a bad dream", she said without moving from her spot. "You were in it." He turned back to face her and sat up in the bed.

"What happened in the dream, Alice?" He asked softly.

"You died", Alice said in a breath. Draco looked at her in concern and moved to the side of the bed, and then he held up his blanket and made room for her beside him. She lay down beside him and he put his arms around her.

"I'm not going anywhere." He pulled her closer to his body and kissed the back of her shoulder. Alice closed her eyes and felt his breath in her neck. It was even and warm, it felt safe.

"I'm not mad at you, not like you think", she said when she was sure he was asleep. "I just want you to be safe. And the thing with Blaise... The truth is, actually, that I kind of like you."

"I kind of like you too", he answered and rubbed her hand gently with his thumb, pulling her closer. "Try get some sleep now Alice." Alice smiled in embarrassment; this was the way it was supposed to be. This way it used to be. So simple. So perfect. Alice drifted off in a dreamless sleep, knowing everything had changed now.


	31. Chapter 31

Oh, wow. I know it's been ages since I updated, but don't think I've forgotten about you! It's just been so busy, last week of school, Christmas, and on that, I've been sick as well. But I finally found some time and inspiration to finish the chapter; and I hope you'll enjoy it! It's really just about one thing this time but I felt like we've come to the point when this needed to happen, originally this chapter was meant to happen a lot later. But I figured it fitted, since its Christmas and everything. So... :)

And thank you as always for reading and reviewing!

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Chapter 31

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"Ssch, lay still." Draco's breath was even. He reached out and stroke her soft cheek. "This is one of the best mornings ever", he whispered against her temple. Alice just felt the way his chest was raising ever so often as he was breathing.

"It is?" asked Alice; just to hear his voice.

"Yes, along with the other one", he said and she could hear his smile. "You were there then too, remember?" Alice pushed herself up and looked him in the eyes. When though they might seem dull to most, Alice found them loving and warm. And those small sprinkles of bright blue.

"Yes, I remember", she said and smiled. They just looked at each other for the moment. It's been long since the55y'd done just that. Nothing needed to be said really, everything was already there.

"What changed your mind?" Draco suddenly asked, for a moment, his gaze flickered from hers.

"This has always been on my mind", Alice said and leaned her chin on his chest. "It was just so..."

"Complicated", Draco filled in with an unsure smile. Alice smiled.

"Complicated, yeah", she said.

"Did you mean what you said last night?" Just as Alice was to answer as the door opened and Daphne stepped in to the room with a big smile. Alice got out of the bed in an instant.

"Not for your sake, but for a friend, you should probably get out of here", said Daphne and leaned on the doorframe. "Well, maybe for your sake too", Daphne changed her mind. Alice glanced to the side, at Draco before she headed for the exit.

"Alice?" Draco asked, she couldn't just leave, not now.

"Yes, every word", she said before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Draco let his head fall back on the pillow. It'd been so close. He just wanted it out of his head. Why did it have to be so hard? It was nothing more than words after all, words she probably already knew was inside of him. Draco looked at the time, it was Saturday morning, 9 am and he had exactly fourteen hours until everything was going down. It felt cold, though it wasn't - they'd reached April and it was actually starting to get warmer outside. He changed his clothes and headed for breakfast, if it still was any left that will say.

"Are you going to get me anything?" Pansy stood leaned by the wall to his side.

"I'm sorry?" She walked over to him and stopped right in front of him. He used to think she was rather pretty, but there was a madness over her that hadn't existed before, which twisted her face.

"For our anniversary", she said and put her hands on his chest. "You know, it's been three years since that our first kiss this Thursday", Pansy continued.

"Um, oh", he said, he had no memory of exactly which day it was, or that they'd exchanged gifts before. "We haven't spoken for weeks", he finally said. Pansy stepped back from him.

"Nine days", she said firmly. The she did a sudden move forward and pressed her lips against Dracos. The kiss gave him chills he didn't usually get. It felt cold and malicious. As she clung on to him as he tried to find a way to get out of it.

"Really?" He said before he left her standing by herself. That wasn't right, none of it.

.

"Alice can I speak to you?" Draco asked.

"No", Alice said, without turning to face him. "I don't speak to gits like you."

"Why would you say that?" Alice didn't care that he spoke to her; she took her things and started walking away from the scene.

"What happened to you?" he yelled. She turned and recoiled several steps before even looking at him.

"I-I don't know what…" she stuttered.

"You used to be so carefree and funny. When I wanted to escape my nightmare I could just go to you", he said, taking a step towards her, "now _you_ _are_ my nightmare." The words did more harm to her then she dared admitting. She opened her mouth several times but couldn't really find anything to say.

"I used to like you so much and now I'm afraid of even looking at you. I know I made a mistake, but I'm only human, Alice." She cleared her throat.

"I never wanted this", she said. "I never wanted any of this. I just wanted… I saw you with Pansy."

"Can I…" he paused. "Can I hug you?" She looked up on him with wide eyes.

"Of course. You don't have to ask", she said as she felt tears building in her eyes. He took the missing steps forward hand put his arms around her.

"I'm sorry", she said in the embrace. "I didn't know how to react..."

"Are you really leaving?" He asked and let go of her. She looked at him, he was worried and confused. And the truth was, well, she could just tell the truth. Because it wouldn't matter.

"Yes", she breathed out.

"How can you do that? How can you just leave everything?" He hesitated, something that seemed rather common as they'd spoken lately.

"Because, I'm not leaving anything behind", she said and looked away from him.

"What about your friends? Daphne?" When she didn't respond, he spoke what she waited for him to say. "What about Blaise?"

"They will remember me; think about me once in a while. Wonder what happened to that intense girl in school. Maybe they'll miss me for a while. But it will pass", Alice said. Draco looked doubtful. "No one would think of me more than that."

"I would", Draco suddenly said. Their eyes met, there was no doubt, no hesitating. "You would be leaving someone behind", he continued. "You would leave me."

"Draco, you can't feel that way..." She put a hand on his arm.

"My mind tells me that I'm not in love with you anymore, but at the same time I have this acing hole in my chest and I-I..." he paused and looked at her, she stood absolutely quiet. "It has to be you."

"How do you know that?" Alice took half a step away from him.

"Because, Alice, there is no one else", he said and took one step towards her. "Because ever since we met, it's always been you." For every half step Alice took away from him, he took a full step towards her. Finally Alice hit the wall behind her.

"I know what you did", he whispered. "I know..."

"Know what, Draco?" They were only inches apart.

"Blaise told me. Don't you understand that's why he left you?" Alice stood quiet, with her mouth slightly open, as if she tried to say something. "He asked me if I loved you... and I couldn't say yes."

"Wh..." he interrupted her by putting a finger over her lips.

"But I couldn't say no either."

"We could never tell anyone", she said, not being able to hold the tears away any longer.

"I wouldn't have to, just to know that you love me too..." She put her hand on his chest and closed her eyes. Then she felt his breath against her face. She opened her eyes slightly, they were only inches apart.

"Draco", she said in a whisper.

"You can make my mind forget all you want, but my heart will always remember", he said. "Ever since that morning last summer I've wanted to do this", he continued in a whisper and leaned in to her, giving her a kiss. The emotions inside her were exploded; they ran all the way from her head to her toes, feeling most intense in the chest and in the lips. Her lips, that was touching his. This couldn't end, she wished it never would. She put her arms around his neck, pulling him as close to herself as she could. He responded by doing the same, their bodies were as close together as they could. It wasn't like last time, it was better. Better because now they'd share it for as long as they lived. Better because no one could take it away. He pulled out and looked her in the eyes.

"It doesn't matter as long as you're with her, Draco. You can't have us both", she said and walked away from him. He had to decide fist, then they could talk. Alice raced through the corridors; she needed to create distance between them before she made another mistake. Was it even right? She'd pictured him as the cruel one this day, but really, wasn't it herself? She ran in to the bathroom and stopped before one of the mirrors. She was the one doing wrong; he was just a confused teenage boy. But she'd already made up her mind. Could she really tell him the truth, the one about she wished they'd be together forever when she knew it wouldn't last?

"Alice?" Blaise said and walked up to her as Alice turned to face him. "Don't be to mad at Draco", he said and put his hands on her shoulders. "He tries his best, you know?" Blaise stepped back from Alice and started walking away from her. "You mean everything to him." He looked for a moment as if he would start walk again, but suddenly changed his mind.

"He's doing it tonight by the way; I would say it wasn't long now." Alice turned and ran. He'd probably gone to bed, just to feel rested enough for when it would happen. The common room was close to empty. She ran over to the dormitory's corridor and knocked on the last door to the right. There was a rumble followed by a swearing and footsteps.

"What?" Draco said as he opened the door. When he saw Alice, he immediately straightened up and tried not to look too tiered.

"How are you feeling?" Alice asked and smiled nervously. Draco looked at her with doubt.

"If you just came here to chat maybe we could take it in the morning?"

"You won't be here", Alice quickly said. He reacted to her words. "In the morning, you won't be here then."

"How'd...?" Alice took a step in and closed the door behind her.

"Blaise told me." For a moment Draco looked mad.

"He said he wouldn't tell you", he said, mostly to himself. Draco stroked her shoulder and arm, his hand stopped by hers for a moment, and it seemed as if he considered holding it.

"What about Pansy then?" said Alice and took courage to look him in the eyes.

"I-I haven't really spoken to her", he admitted.

"Well, if you're still with her there's no reason for me to be here." Alice straightened up and turned to leave the room.

"I don't love her, isn't that what matters?" Alice opened the door and to a step outside.

"We have something and you know it", he said in despair, "a connection. And I refuse to believe you haven't felt it as well!" Alice turned and looked up on him, their eyes met.

"You're the one who made the choice and Draco, you didn't choose me", she said with her eyes filled with tears. She wasn't going to let them escape, but maybe he needed to see that they actually were there.

"Please, Alice", he said, putting his hands around her face.

"No Draco, I'm sorry." Maybe it'd be best if he didn't get his hopes up. Maybe it was best if they weren't together.


	32. Chapter 32

Okey, so I know it's been ages. But you know. Christmas and new years and all. I've worked a lot on the story, just not exactly where we're at. I've written two endings and gotten a lot of ideas of what is going to happen. But here you go; chapter 32 that finally is finished!

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Chapter 32

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The silence of the night was falling over Hogwarts as the sun set. Footsteps were heard ever so often, but other than that, nothing disturbed the peace. Even the weather was smooth. Draco put on his shoes before he left the sleeping bedroom behind. His heart was racing a bit, but not as much as he'd expected.

"Do you have the password?" He asked the floating ghost that had appeared next to him.

"Honey beans", said Myrtle. Draco gave her a glance as if he wondered why she hadn't left him alone. But she floated beside him, perfectly happy with the company she had.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked and gave her an unwanted look. She understood the hint and disappeared, crying, through the roof. He couldn't feel guilty over her feelings, he didn't have time to. It was just passed midnight, the corridors were supposed to be empty as far to the teachers on their nightly rounds. He rounded the corner right outside Slytherin's common room, where Crabbe and Goyle were waiting. They stood silent, as two lost trolls as they waited for him to come.

"Vincent, Gregory", Draco said and nodded quickly at each of them. It was the first time in very long that he'd used their first names.

"Draco", said Crabbe and nodded back. "There are only two of them tonight, Slughorn and Flitwick."

"Goyle, you stay here. Make sure no one finds out where we are", Draco instructed him. Goyle nodded his big head almost too quickly and looked a bit dizzy for a moment. "Crabbe, you'll stand guard outside with me. But only for five minutes, then you have to go back here, go to bed and pretend like nothing. Understood?" he nodded as well, a bit more discrete than Goyle. The three boys looked at each other for a moment.

"Well", Draco said then. "If everything goes alright; this is probably the last time we'll see each other." He felt a bit sentimental; they had after all been with one another for almost their entire lives.

"I'm going to miss you", Goyle said – then he remembered what he'd said and walked in to the common room quickly. Draco and Crabbe exchanged looks before they walked down the corridor quickly. It was dark, but they'd been walking these corridors so often lately it didn't matter. And it would make it much harder for others to find them. Crabbe was following Draco as a dog, not making any noise – except from his heavy breathing. Someone turned to corner ahead, with his wand lit and made his way down the hall. Draco's heart started beating, they couldn't be found, not now. He glanced over his shoulder, Crabbe stood frozen as solid ice. Without really thinking, Draco took three large steps to his right, in to a crossing corridor and pressed himself at the wall. Crabbe looked at him in confusion, but Draco hushed him silently.

"Oh, what are you doing up here my boy?" Professor Slughorn said and lowered his wand. Crabbe's face had gone red and he had no idea what to say.

"Um, I don't know...?" Crabbe said without looking his professor in the eyes.

"Well, you must have been sleep-walking then. Let's get you back to the common room", professor Slughorn said and lead Crabbe down the corridor. Draco breathed out. Jolly luck the old fool didn't understand better. As the corridor was dark and empty again, Draco made his way through it. He was only a few steps away from the headmaster's office. The big stone statue stood still as ever but Draco could feel it's eyes following him as he approached.

"Honey Beans", Draco said, loud and clearly. The stone statue moved and looked at him.

"It is nightfall, students aren't supposed to be out of bed", it said and moved back to its original pose.

"I have a note from professor Dumbledore, asking me to come here", Draco said and held out a piece of parchment. The stone statue stepped aside and revealed the spinning staircase behind itself. Draco stepped on one of the steppes and had it take him all the way up. The door was unlocked and for the first time Draco stepped in to the headmaster's office. It was a bit smaller than he thought it'd be and round. It was very clean in a way, and for a moment all Draco could think of; was how suiting it was to the person Dumbledore portrayed himself to be. Unfortunately, that was about to end. Draco looked around in the office; there were no hidden areas where anyone could hide. Then he heard the scraping of a foot behind him, someone was there. Instinctively he pulled out his wand, turned and raised it towards whoever was behind him.

"Blaise?" He said in surprise and lowered his wand.

"You think she'd forgive me if she knew I let you do this alone?" he said and laughed a bit.

"No, probably not", Draco said. They looked at one another for a moment and then shared an understanding smile. They walked in to the room, almost pushing themselves against opposite walls. It was clear though, no one was there.

"Only one place left to look", Blaise said and nodded towards the staircase. It would be perfect if the old man was asleep. No conversation, no screams, just a simple last breath. Hopefully they'd think he'd died in his sleep. Draco went first, with Blaise closely after him. A ticking clock was all that could be heard. Draco took a deep breath before he entered the room which the stairs lead to. It was a rather small room, not more than the bed, the nightstand and the closet fitted in there.

"He's not here", Draco said in shock. "How can he not be here?" Blaise put a hand on his shoulder.

"Were you sure he'd be here?" Blaise asked gently.

"Yes, he was supposed to be her. _She _confirmed it, he was supposed to be here", Draco said and just stared blankly at the empty bed.

"Let's go Draco, before anyone notices", said Blaise and tried to pull his friend with him.

"No, you go. I have to wait and see if he's coming." Blaise let his hand drop and Draco's shoulder and left him there alone. Draco walked up to the bed and put his hands on it, only to make sure the old man wasn't invisible or something. But nothing was there. He's planed this so well, everything had gone so smooth. Except this, was he really such a fool? Draco turned around and walked down the stairs. If he was coming, it would be through the office, and Draco would be ready. Ready for anything, all possibilities had already played themselves out in his mind. Even the ones where everything had gone wrong and he ended up in Azkaban or dead for that matter. Draco sat down on one of the lower steps with the wand in his hands and waited. The pictures behind the desk were deeply asleep. A chill crept up Draco's spine. He was going to do it; he was actually going to kill someone. Even though it'd been reality for some time he hadn't been able to feel it like he did now. This wasn't what he wanted. This wasn't him. Well, it didn't use to be him. Then he heard it, footsteps outside the door. He stood up, straightened up and raised his wand in direction towards the door. But it wasn't Dumbledore who stepped in.

"Draco", said Alice and closed the door behind her.

"Go away", he said firmly and lowered his wand. She was worried, her blue eyes told so. Those beautiful blue eyes one could drown in.

"No Draco, I'm not leaving without you." She walked up to him. "Tonight isn't the night."

"I have to do it. The sooner the better", Draco defended his actions. Alice took his hands in hers and sought out his gaze.

"I need to know you'll be safe. Tonight isn't the night", she said again.

"Why isn't anything working out for me?" he said, he felt himself break down. "I had everything planned out and still... Here we are, and I still..."

"Everything is going to be fine", Alice comforted him. "But we need to leave now, before anyone gets here." Still with a hold of his hand she lead him out from the room.

"No one can know about this", Draco said in his shock. Alice turned to him with a soft smile.

"Which part?" asked Alice gently.

"Well, both." Suddenly he pulled Alice closer to himself and looked her in the eyes.

"And which is the other part?" Draco took a firm grip around her waist with one arm and put his other hand gently on her cheek. Then he bent down slowly, always watching her eyes before catching her lips with his own.

"I need you Alice", he whispered. "You're the one that's going to save me from this."

"Actually Draco, I think it is the other way around." Alice didn't have time to explain herself before a wand lit next to them, revealing a third person in the dark corridor.

"Even though both of you mostly are superb students, I do not find it in any of you interests to stroll around after nightfall, Mr Malfoy and Miss Gaunt", professor Snape said in his usual, cold tone. "Though I'm feeling a wee bit gentle tonight and will let you both go with a warning." They stood still for a moment before Alice turned back to Draco.

"This doesn't change anything", she said and stepped away from him. "Severus, a word please." Professor Snape followed his student unwillingly, leaving Draco by himself in the dark. They walked quickly down the corridors, professor Snape always one step behind Alice. She had her mind set for his office, they had matters to discuss.

The clock rang three just as they entered professor Snape's office. Severus took his place behind the desk in his comfortable chair and pushed one out next to him for Alice. But Alice had the habit of walking back and forth while thinking and started doing so now.

"Exactly what did you see?" Alice asked without looking at him.

"Perhaps a bit too much", professor Snape answered slowly.

"Obviously the a bit more emotional part of our discussion", said Alice.

"If you want to put it that way, yes", he said. Alice found him hard to read, not only had e blocked his mind for her, but also because of his absolutely neutral face.

"But I trust you won't tell _him_..?"

"Tell who?" The silence was absolute.

"My father of course", Alice said and for a moment Severus face gave him away. He had the expression of "_how do you know"_ on his face. Alice stopped, looked at him and tapped her temples before she spoke. "He told me so. That you would keep an eye on me." Alice started walking back and forth again. "Then again, if it weren't for Dumbledore you'd have a lot more to rapport to him."

"I do not see how _professor _Dumbledore has anything to with our agreements", Severus said and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't be a fool", Alice said and smiled. Once again she tapped her temple. "I know everything."

"You know what exactly, Miss Gaunt?" Severus folded his hand under his chin and waited for her reply.

"Let's not pretend, Severus. We are after all on the same side here", she said and smirked. "I know a lot of things that you as a teacher never will find out."

"Miss Gaunt, what is it that you want?" Professor Snape asked coldly. Alice took one step closer to him and stared intensely in his dark eyes, they'd shown a second of interest in her words.

"I want out", she said in complete determination. "And you are going to help me."


	33. Chapter 33

Okay, so I know it's been weeks since I updated last and I feel a bit bad about it. It's just been much going on right now and I haven't had time to finish this chapter off. But I did find my inspiration and time tonight and hope you'll like it.

Thanks to all of you who still reads this story and all new that's just started reading. Cheers :)

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Chapter 33

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As Alice walked through the doorway and in to the great hall she could feel every burning look in her. That something had changed the last few week was no secret. Even the air told so, it felt thick and tensed. Something was about to happen and everyone knew. Or maybe it was just the fact that for the first time in all year she'd entered with him beside. Draco held his proud posture high and his eyes examined every single person in the room. They moved coherent, him always half a step behind her left shoulder.

"Everyone's looking", Alice whispered as they made their way down the Slytherin table. She glanced over her shoulder in a moment of insecurity and he just smiled, but only enough for her to see.

"Who can blame them?" he said and his eyes flickered down to her for a second. "You look absolutely stunning." Alice looked down on her body. She had put on one of her old, white, crochet dresses. They didn't say more, just stopped by the two empty seats across the table from Blaise and Daphne.

"That is quite fantastic, don't you think Blaise?" Blaise smiled, a big smile, one that he hadn't smiled for some time now.

"I almost wish I had a camera to make the moment last forever", he said and took a big bite of his toast.

"What moment?" Alice looked at both of them with raised eyebrows. The exchanged looks before they smiled again.

"The both of you, almost looking happy", said Daphne and smiled even bigger. Both Alice and Draco put on a frown before they focused on their dinner. Alice looked up for a moment and moved her gaze to Blaise. They hadn't really spoken about anything since that night, since he's asked her to go get Draco. None of them had really. They'd said things but not really talked. Blaise gave her a very understanding look, with a bit of a smile on his lips before he returned his focus at Daphne. Alice couldn't quite place it, but something had changed with them recently. She then looked to her left, at Draco. He on the other hand was too busy avoiding and hiding behind a chicken from Pansy Parkinson to really see what was happening. For some strange reason Pansy had the idea that they were still together, although they probably hadn't spoken in a month. She always made strange attempts to regain his attention whilst Alice was present. They never succeeded and mostly ended up in a fiasco for Pansy's part which in some way made the gap between Alice and the other Slytherin students even bigger. For some reason Alice had noticed fear growing in their minds as she entered the room. The funnier part of the story was that Draco and Alice never entered a room together, nor did they sit with one another. Except for today. Truth to be told, Draco had been so busy doing his thing; they didn't see each other more than in the great hall and very rarely in the common room at night.

Alice watched in the corner of her eye how Pansy got up and made her way towards them. Pansy had a cunning smile on her lips as she pressed herself down in between the two of them.

"Not making a scene today, are we, Pansy?" Alice said without paying any further attention to her. Pansy turned to Draco instead and started caressing his hair. Draco stiffened and looked up from the plate; apparently he had not taken notice of his girlfriend's new whereabouts.

"I'm not making one unless you are", she said and nuzzled her nose in Draco's cheek.

"I'm always up for a fight with you, perhaps a rematch? A change for you to redeem yourself", Alice smirked and glanced over at Pansy.

"There is one thing you should have really clear for yourself, _Gaunt_. I don't need to redeem myself. Even though what might happened back then I still have a much higher status then you ever will", she sputtered before returning to a frozen Draco.

"Actually, Pansy, I'd like you to leave", he finally said and looked her directly in the eyes.

"What?" She said and let go of him.

"I'd like you to leave. I find no interest in you being here right now."

"You don't tell her to go away", said Pansy and nodded in Alice's direction.

"She isn't bothering me!" Draco let his rage out for a second, attracting everyone's gaze at them. Pansy got up and ran off, without saying a word. Daphne looked over at Draco, who did his best to ignore the situation that had occurred, and then at Alice, who was following Pansy's departure closely. Draco leaned in to Alice and whispered something in her ear, making her smile brightly before getting up and leaving the table.

"What was that about?" Daphne asked curiously. Alice looked up, her cheeks were a bit pinkish and she had a smile on her lips.

"Nothing", she mumbled and looked down in her plate again. Daphne had never seen her like this before. Alice, who always seemed so grown up and mature was actually acting like a normal teenager for once. Once again today, she wished she had a camera to make this moment last forever. Daphne looked over at Blaise; he had an amused smile on his lips that went even bigger as he looked back at her. And all of the sudden Daphne felt a hand on hers underneath the table. She had to look down to be sure. Blaise had reached out and grabbed her hand and now he was gently stroking it without looking at her.

"Um", Daphne tried to say something. She needed to confront him, immediately. "We have class, see you later Alice", she said and pulled her hand out of Blaise's grip.

"Bye", Alice said and Daphne walked quickly away from the table. As she thought, Blaise wasn't far behind her. They walked quickly through the corridors, up a few floors before Daphne decided she had courage enough to confront him. She pulled him in to one of the classrooms, an empty one fortunately.

"What, by Merlin's beard, do you think you're doing?" He looked at her with a smile and took the missing steps between them.

"I was just holding your hand", he said and took a piece of her hair between his fingers. "It's not like I was doing something like... this..." He put his hands around her face and pressed his lips against hers. A tingle she didn't want to have occurred in her stomach and it felt a bit too good.

"No", she said and pushed him away. "You can't do that! We're friends and you're my best friends' ex-boyfriend and..."

"_Ex_-boyfriend", he inflicted and looked her in the eyes.

"But she's my best friend", Daphne tried and pushed him away once again.

"Look, Daphne, I takes a good lot of me to admit this. Alice was my first love, she's special and she always will be. But let's face it, we're never getting back together even if she'd like and when I got over the fact that she'd never love me as I loved her, well, you were there", he said and his haze flickered from hers for a second. "Why can't we have what they do?" He referred to Alice and Draco, of course. Daphne had seen the looks of lately, they'd changed. Something had happened between them, something that made them closer even though they were further apart.

"We're not like them, Blaise", said Daphne and lifted his chin up so that their eyes met again. "I am your friend, but nothing more", and with that she left him standing. She couldn't do it, not like this. All she wanted to do now was finding Alice; she needed to tell her best friend what just happened. Even though it might hurt the relation between them and Blaise. Daphne hurried down the castle and made way towards the common room. Blaise wasn't following her, which was good. She had noticed the change and she admitted to herself that she might have invited him to act that way too. Alice was sitting in the far corner of the common room, with nothing but a candle and a book. Then she was suddenly looking up with the glimpse of a smile on her lips that widened in to a full blown smile. Daphne followed her gaze over the room, and it didn't surprise her at all. Draco had turned his gaze at her from the armchair he was sitting in, with a hand over his mouth, not revealing the smile to his friends. They acted like teenagers in love, opposed to their usual, grown-up and focused selves. Daphne had to know the juicy news; it'd been long since the two friends shared secrets.

"What's up?" Daphne sat down next to Alice and leaned in over the table. Alice broke free from her longing look and turned to Daphne.

"What?" Alice said and the smile disappeared.

"What were you looking at?" Alice looked down on her book and the up at Daphne again.

"Nothing special", she said and shrugged her shoulders. Daphne raised an eyebrow.

"So you're telling me that Mr tall and blond over there is nothing?" Alice blushed, her cheek actually turned pink. Daphne smiled, she liked seeing her friend like this. Even though Daphne knew there was more to Alice then the controlling, dominant side she so often showed.

"I wasn't looking at him", Alice tried.

"He makes you happy, why wouldn't you look?"

"It just, with him I can be the real me. The me I used to be before all of this happened", said Alice and glanced over at him again. He hadn't stopped looking at her at all and a smile placed itself on his lips again.

"I wish there was a way I could be with him."

"Why can't you? What's holding you back?" Alice turned to Daphne.

"What's holding you back?" Alice asked; her blue eyes stared intensely at Daphne which made her recoil a bit. What did Alice know now? Daphne often wondered how Alice could know it all. She'd seen Alice around others and wasn't surprised that they told her things; but this was something between Daphne herself and Blaise.

"You're right, by the way", Alice suddenly said, breaking Daphne from her thoughts. "What is holding me back?" Daphne waited for her to speak again, Alice got up, without saying anything and left the table and the room. Daphne followed her as she left. There was something about her that made you look.

"She's up to something..." Daphne turned back quickly. Draco's unexpected voice had frightened her.

"Alice is always up to something. It's a part of who she is", said Daphne with a smile. She and Draco had never really been good friends. They'd been around each other a lot, mostly because of Pansy. A vague expression was all she'd ever got from him, before Alice that is.

"_Daphne?" Daphne looked up, for some reason Draco Malfoy was standing in front of her. He didn't look like his usual self; he looked as he was hiding. _

"_Pansy is in the library", said Daphne and turned back to her studies. _

"_I'm not looking for her", he said and sat down next to her. "I need to ask you about Alice." Daphne sat quiet and waited for him to speak. "You're friends, right?"_

"_We've only known each other for a few weeks, but yes, I suppose..." He leaned in, without meeting her gaze. _

"_I know I've messed up. But is it lost? Have I lost my chances?"_

"_They're slipping", said Daphne truthfully. "Show her what you feel, maybe that would fix it. I would hurry though; she's going on a date with Blaise Zabini on Saturday." _

"_With Blaise? I should have known..." said Draco with a sigh. _

"_Don't think yourself down, everyone makes mistakes." _

"_I don't want to make mistakes, not with her." _

"What happened between you two?" Daphne asked. They'd both been stuck in their thoughts for a moment.

"Hm?" He said and looked up at her.

"Alice doesn't say much, especially about her feelings", Daphne explained. Draco focused on the flame of the candle and started playing with it.

"I kissed her", he said.

"You what?" Daphne hadn't meant to react so strongly at her words. At the same time as it didn't surprise her, it was probably the last thing she'd expected to hear from him.

"Twice", Draco continued as if Daphne hadn't reacted at all. Daphne didn't know what to say. It was amazing; he'd gone from a little boy to a full-grown man in her eyes. Just because he took courage like she'd never seen him do before.

"You look mad..."

"Oh sorry", Daphne hurried to say. "No, I think it's amazing. Did she – did she kiss you back?"

"You really think I'd kiss her twice if she didn't?" Daphne knew he was right; the question was stupid really, of course she'd kiss back. "Does she ever say anything about me?"

"Not in words, no", said Daphne, "her eyes does. The way she looks at you never changed." Draco didn't say anything; he was still focused on the candle between them. "She did tell me about the dream though, that's how I knew where she was that morning she was with you."

"I thought I was dreaming until I woke up", he said and a silly smile placed itself on his lips.

"That's when she changed back, she took out her old dresses and let go of all her diabolical plans." He smiled again, and even blushed a bit. Daphne had never thought about how shy he really was before. "I'm happy for you. Don't let go once you have it."

"I'm going to marry her, you know..."

"I know", said Daphne with a smile before she got up and left him by himself. Even though Alice had left in a rush, Daphne wanted to see her; it'd been to long since they had a bit of fun. Daphne didn't have to walk long before she could make out her friend in the mass of people streaming in to the Great Hall. But before Daphne caught up with Alice someone else did; Hermione Granger – the mudblood from Gryffindor. Granger took a grip around Alice's arm and pulled her away. It certainly didn't look good so Daphne decided to follow. The two girls walked in to a nearby toilet. Daphne took out her wand before she entered after them.

"What did you tell him?" Granger's voice was raised.

"What's going on in here?" Daphne had her wand pointed at Granger. They both looked at Daphne in surprise before Granger turned back to Alice.

"Why couldn't you ask her?" Alice didn't say anything, she stood absolutely still with no expression what so ever on her face.

"He knows why, you don't have to", Alice finally said, her voice was almost too calm.

"Who is she talking about?" Daphne lowered her wand and turned to Alice.

"You haven't even told her?" Granger raged out.

"None of your business", said Alice. By now Daphne could tell the real emotion behind Alice's stone face; anger.

"Told me what?" Daphne started to freak out; this was obviously something serious.

"She's made a deal with Neville Longbottom", Hermione said and crossed her arms over her chest. "She's going to die."

"What?" said Daphne and starred intensely at Granger. "What?" She said again towards Alice this time.

"Not die really", said Alice and shrugged her shoulder as it was nothing. "He's going to kill me." Daphne felt the emotions start rumbling insider her, it wasn't a joke. Alice was too serious for it to be a joke.

"Have you told...?" Daphne looked over at Granger quickly before she turned back to Alice. "Have you told Draco?"


	34. Chapter 34

Hey guys, so I know it's been long since I updated again. But life's busy and I find little inspiration for the store right now. I've been devoured by Spartacus too of late and I can't stop thinking about gladiators and stuff like that – which doesn't exactly fit in this story. Anyways, I got a bit of my inspiration back tonight so I came up with 2 chapters and I'm posting both of them as compensation of my slacking! Hope you enjoy! :)

And as always, thank you for reading and reviewing!

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Chapter 34

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"No, I haven't told him." Daphne took a step towards Alice, but before Daphne had a chance to say anything Granger opened her mouth.

"How can you do that to the people you love?" Granger said as she took a step towards Alice as well. "You'll hurt them more then you'll hurt yourself."

"What do you care? It's not like you're friends with any of them, mudblood", said Alice between her teeth. She was starting to lose it; the mask she wore started to fall off.

"You're not like the rest of them Alice, I don't believe you'd do something like that!" Granger took yet another step towards Alice.

"Why are you interfering?" Alice let the emotions take control of her, only for a second. And in that second a wave of pressure shot out from her making the two other girls shot back, only to hit the walls behind them. As Alice regained control of herself she looked around at the wrecked room. She hadn't done it, not on purpose anyways.

"Oh, Daph, I'm so sorry", Alice said and hurried over to her friend.

"What did you do?" Daphne asked and got on her feet with the help of Alice.

"I didn't do anything", Alice said and turned to watch the room again. She put her hand in her inner pocket and pulled out her wand. "My wand did." The door suddenly swung open and a whole bunch of teachers stepped in. They all looked at the three girls, one at the time.

"Professor Dumbledore's office, now!" Professor McGonagall said with her eyes fixed upon Alice. "All three of you." Hermione helped herself up; her whole body was aching from the hit. The two other girls were already at the door, not carrying if she caught up with them or not. But Hermione decided to hold on to her pride, she was not less than them and they should know it. She quickened her pace for a few steps before she was side to side with Alice. It was something about this girl she couldn't quite put a finger on. The overall straight and proud impression she gave off along with the kindness in her blue eyes made the whole picture a bit frightening. She wasn't just an evil maniac like most of them. This girl knew what she was doing, and what everyone else around her did as well. Apparently Alice and Daphne knew the way to the headmaster's office; they'd lead themselves and Hermione there without Hermione really knowing. As the girls came of the spinning stairs, the door stood wide open, waiting for them to enter. Hermione realised this was probably one of the first times she'd ever been to the headmaster's office; it was a bit smaller then she'd imagined. Dumbledore sat calmly behind his desk, waiting for them to step forward. Even though Alice was the smaller one of the three, as they stepped forwards Hermione felt herself small in comparison.

"Your wand, Alice", professor Dumbledore said and nodded towards Alice. She reached inside her robe and held out the wand for him to see. "This is not the wand you used to have."

"No, sir", said Alice with a small smile. "This wand, sir, is a more suiting one for me", she continued without hesitation.

"You told me once, remember, that the wand you had was more then powerful enough for you. Why would you seek more power when you do not wish for it?" Alice glanced from one side to the other, at the two girls beside her, before she spoke.

"The power I had wasn't enough for me to..." Alice paused and glanced at two girls beside her again. "To make my way." To Hermione's surprise Dumbledore smiled and let the subject go.

"I gave you a warning Alice, and as headmaster I must stick to that..."

"I was not the one to do it, sir", Alice defended herself before he'd even spoken the whole sentence. "My wand did."

"May you excuse us? I believe Miss Gaunt and I need to speak alone." Hermione did as told without saying anything. The name however seemed familiar. Gaunt, where had she heard it before?

"Who is she?" Hermione asked when they'd reached the corridor outside of the office. Daphne stopped and looked at her with one raised eyebrow. "Alice? Who is she?"

"A girl", said Daphne in a cold tone before she started walking again.

"Where's she from?" Daphne stopped again and turned towards Hermione.

"Northern Europe somewhere."

"How is she connected to Malfoy?" Daphne raised an eyebrow again.

"What do you know about them?" Hermione stepped closer to Daphne and lowered her voice.

"Not more than the obvious... She loves him." Daphne hesitated for a moment.

"She lived with them when she first got to England", said Daphne with a shrug on her shoulders.

"And how is she connected to Voldemort?" Daphne's eyes widened and she took a step backwards, away from Hermione.

"The Dark Lord and Alice have nothing to do with one another." Hermione didn't get the time to ask any more questions before Alice got down from the stairs and walked up to them. She didn't look at any of them with particular interest. Daphne closed up with her as she passed by and left Hermione standing. There was something with Alice she couldn't quite let go. There had to be something about her, not anyone get's to start in their fifth year just like that. Hermione made her way back to the Gryffindor common room. She found Harry and Ron in the armchairs by the fire and sat down next to them.

"Where've you been?" Ron asked and looked up from his essay.

"I've been thinking about Draco Malfoy, Harry", said Hermione. Harry looked up as well with interest. "What if he's meeting somebody – someone from school?"

"Like who?" asked Harry and leaned in towards her.

"A girl?" Harry snorted.

"What girl besides Pansy Parkinson would want to meet him? And everyone knows that they're a couple already. It has to be something to do with Voldemort, I'm telling you..." Hermione interrupted him.

"Yes, Harry, I know. And for the record, there are a lot of girls that wouldn't mind getting his attention even though he's a scum." And with that the conversation was over.

.

The morning after Hermione still could not let Alice out of her mind. She had the feeling this girl would play a significant part in what was about to go down. At breakfast neither Malfoy nor Alice had been present, not Daphne either for that matter.

"Malfoy isn't here, and I can't find him on the map", Harry whispered to Hermione and Ron.

"I can't believe you'd talk about that when we have a match coming up in a few days", said Ron. He still hadn't got the confidence that he was a good enough player. Hermione snatched the map out of Harry's hands and unfolded it. She found all of the missing Slytherin students in a corner of the library.

"He's in the library, Harry. Don't waste any more time looking for him." Hermione got up, she had in fact been thinking of going to the library herself. Maybe there was something of a Gaunt in a book in there, the name somehow seemed familiar. Hermione knew the library so well; it was no hard task to sneak up on the unknowing group of Slytherin's. She looked around the bookshelf, Daphne and Blaise Zabini got up from the table, leaving Alice and Draco by themselves.

"I meant what I said Draco", Alice said just lout enough for Hermione to hear. "Father was clear what would happen if you..."

"I can't drag you in to it", he interrupted her. They sat quiet for a moment.

"I am already a part of it, when will you get that?" Draco didn't say anything in response. "And what about us?"

"Your father was very clear about that too", he said and looked away from her.

"He doesn't have to know…"

"He wouldn't mind killing one of us if he did find out. And both of us knows who", Draco said in anger.

"You haven't spoken to Pansy anyways", said Alice between her teeth.

"I haven't had time…"

"Yeah, because it takes such a long time telling her! You need to get some courage," Alice got up from the table and walked quickly away. Hermione started searching the library for anything about the name Gaunt. She searched, without results, until about an hour before lunch. She'd heard the name before, she was sure of it. Perhaps Harry would remember it. The corridors were close to empty as she made her way towards the Gryffindor common room. It was stormy outside and the rain seemed never to end. Perhaps that was the reason everyone snuggled up in the warm and cosy common rooms. Harry and Ron were as usual by the fire place, Harry with his nose deep in that sodding potions book and Ron with a dreamy expression on his face.

"Harry, can I ask you something?" Hermione said and sat down next to him in the sofa. He closed the book very carefully and looked at her with a smile.

"Yeah, sure", he said.

"Does the name Gaunt tell you anything?"

"Voldemort's mothers last name was Gaunt", he said in surprise. "Where've you heard it?"

"Is it a common wizard's last name?" That question was directed to Ron. He shook his head.

"Never heard it before", he said and shrugged his shoulders.

"There's a student, here in school with that name", said Hermione. "Have you got your map Harry?" Harry picked it out from his pocked and gave it to her. "She's just one floor down, come on!" The three friends made haste down one floor. The snuck up behind a corner and looked around it very carefully. There she was, with Daphne walking in their direction.

"I've seen Ginny with her", Ron whispered. Harry pulled them back and in to an empty classroom.

"The shorter one, she's named Gaunt?" Hermione nodded. "She's a replica of young Tom Riddle!" Harry said. Ron's face got a scared expression whilst Hermione fell in thoughts.

"Her name is Alice Gaunt, she got to England this summer with her mom and she is staying with the Malfoy's! It all makes sense", she said still in thoughts.

"If she's not him she has to be his daughter or granddaughter or something", said Harry to continue on Hermione's reflections.

"Harry don't you understand what this means?" They exchanged worried looks.

"It doesn't have to mean anything." They all turned towards the door. "I'm going to make it very clear for you. Tom Riddle is my father, but that doesn't make me him." Alice stepped in to the room and closed the door behind her. She reached inside her robe and pulled out her wand.

"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked; she feared what this girl was capable of. Harry got out his wand quickly and in the course of a second he casted a spell again Alice.

"Expelliamus!" Alice blocked the spell to easy and with a smile.

"Obliviate!"

Hermione woke up in the classroom, Harry and Ron was still beside her, unconscious.

"Harry! Ronald! Wake up!" She shook each of them until they opened their eyes.

"What are we doing in here?" asked Harry and looked around. "Isn't it lunchtime soon?"

"Oh, I have to go and speak to professor Vector about a mistake a did in the last exam, it's been nagging me for days", Hermione said and quickly got out from the room.

"Oh god", said Ron, his face had turned greenish. "I have to throw up." And he ran out as well, leaving Harry by himself. He decided to take the rout passing by the room of requirements before lunch.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"Alice, you have to come", Daphne was in panic. "Alice, hurry!" Alice got off the sofa and ran after her best friend.

"I wanted to tell you before Pansy does", she said and stopped in the corridor right outside the common room. "Draco's hurt."

"What?" Alice asked, she didn't quite catch what Daphne was saying.

"He almost died Alice", Daphne put a hand on her shoulder as comfort.

"What?" Alice said once again.

"Pansy was just in the hospital, she said Harry Potter attacked him in the bathroom, there was blood everywhere."

"Draco's hurt?" It started to sink in. And the thought that she'd been angry with him and now he almost had died. What if she hadn't had time to tell him that it didn't really matter? That he was perfect just as he was?

"Yes, and you have to go to him, _now_!" Daphne took a firm grip around Alice's upper arm and pulled her along the corridor. It was like with her mother – what if she'd been acting differently. Would he not be hurt then? Would she not have died? Alice had blood on her hands and she knew it. She needed to make it right; she needed to make it up to them. Blaise caught up with them at the fifth floor, walking alongside them, in silence. He leaned in to Daphne and whispered;

"Is she going to be alright?" Daphne shrugged her shoulders – probably, he wasn't dead, just hurt.

"We'll see you later, Alice, okay?"

There was no one there, except madam Pomfrey and the other, sick students. Alice walked determined over to Draco's bed. Madam Pomfrey stood bent over him.

"I-is he going to be alright?" Alice asked. He looked alright, besides from the light line across his body.

"He'll be fine", madam Pomfrey said. "He needs to rest, I wouldn't bother; he won't wake up 'till the morning."

"I don't want to speak with him; I just needed to see that he'll be alright", Alice said, starting to walk out from the hospital wing.

"Wait", madam Pomfrey said. "What have you got there?" Alice turned around.

"It's just a book", Alice said. "Alice in Wonderland, he gave it to me."

"A familiar vice often helps, reed for him." Madam Pomfrey swung with her wand and a stool appeared beside the bed. Alice opened the book and sat down beside Draco.

"_Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations?" _", Alice read. She noticed a younger boy lying across in the hall paying attention to her reading, but she didn't mind. She continued reading, speaking up a bit so the younger boy also could hear. She read the first chapter, it wasn't very long but she'd already missed dinner and didn't feel hungry. She continued reading, the little boy was lying down, but Alice understood that he was still listening. It didn't take long before he fell asleep. She marked the page for him, even if he'd never hear the continuation; it felt the best to do so.

.

Alice woke up hours later. At first, she couldn't place where she was. Then it came back to her. She looked to her right, but the bed was empty. And why was she in a bed? Madam Pomfrey came out of her office.

"God morning", she said. "Your friend just left for breakfast."

"Why didn't I go home last night?" Alice said, mostly to herself.

"You fell asleep on Mr. Malfoys bedside and he insisted we'd let you sleep", madam Pomfrey explained. Alice looked over on the bed where the young boy was lying the night before.

"Where did the little boy go?" she asked and nodded towards the empty bed. The young boy stepped out from behind a cover and smiled shyly at Alice. "Did you like to book?" Alice asked and the boy nodded. He couldn't be older than eleven, slim, short, golden hair with a pointy nose and a vague smile on his red lips.

"What's your name?"

"Melvin, Melvin Flickheart", the boy said. Alice got up from the bed, took the book from the nightstand. "Will you come back and read for me?" He asked. Alice stopped in front of him and smiled.

"I'll come after dinner every day you are here, agreed?" He smiled enthusiastically and nodded again. She reached the book over to him. "There's some pictures in it you can look at while I'm gone." She said with a smile and left the room. She headed downstairs for the Great Hall and breakfast. She bumped in to Neville Longbottom, he hurried to ask if she was alright.

"Well, yes, why shouldn't I be?" Alice said, and Neville pointed towards the hospital, which she'd just left. "Oh, a friend of mine was hurt yesterday." Neville looked at her with scepticism.

"Draco Malfoy?" He said with a frown. Alice didn't respond. She knew the two of them hated each other; in fact, almost everyone seemed to hate Draco for some reason. "I don't understand why you're friends with him", Neville said. They started walking together to the Great Hall. Alice shrugged her shoulders.

"Two weeks ago he yelled at you for asking how he was doing!" The truth was, and this Neville didn't know, for Draco she'd pushed him. Not gently asked if he was doing alright as everyone else thought.

"You don't understand", she just said, trying to defend him.

"Your right, I don't. In fact, no one does", he said, not angry, worried. "I just don't understand what you see in him." They stopped in the doorway to the big room, that was full of newly woke students.

"I'll see you later, Neville", Alice said and walked away from him. She couldn't take this confrontation, not now. Alice made her way towards Daphne, as always. Pansy was glaring from the far end of the table like never before.

"Alice!" Draco grabbed her arm from behind and she turned towards him.

"You look well", said Alice. Draco smiled and put a hand on her cheek.

"Thank you for last night", he said, bent down and kissed her on the lips.

.

_The night before_

Draco felt the sleeping draught wearing off, and the cloud that kept him down started to light up. The pain was gone, but the ache still lingered. Someone was beside him, a bit on top of him too actually. His eyes were still too tired to open up, but with his hands he could feel a book and soft hair in a braid. Suddenly he felt more than awake. Draco opened his eyes and looked down at the sleeping Alice on his lap. She looked so relaxed, so carefree. He took the book and put it on the nightstand, and then he lifted Alice's head up and got out from the bed. Very gently, he picked her up and placed her on the bed.

"Draco, you're awake", Pansy walked up to him with a wide smile. "I was so worried, everyone is."

"I'm fine", he said and pulled the blanket over Alice's body. Pansy's eyes immediately wavered from him and down to Alice.

"What is she doing here?" Pansy put a frown on her forehead that want all the way down around her eyes and between her eyebrows.

"She was just reading to me", he said and looked at her as well. That he once thought that Pansy was all he could get, that she was the perfect one. That'd changed very quickly when Alice came along. Not that he didn't care, it just wasn't as much. And it had been less and less before that too.

"Reading, snuggling up in your arms, whispering words of comfort", said Pansy in anger.

"Don't blame this on her!" Draco replied. "Whatever happened between the two of us is between us, not her."

"When have you ever taken the blame for someone else?" Their gaze met and Pansy, for once, was the one to break it.

"I will for her, every time", he said and looked down at Alice again. "I think it's time we talk and that you listen."

"Are you going to humiliate me in front of her?" He shook his head.

"No, it's not like that." They walked over to the far end of the room, where no one else was for the moment. Pansy sat down on one of the beds and just waited for him to speak. It was unusual for her to act like this.

"Pansy", he decided in that moment to take courage and jump right in, "I love her." Pansy looked down on her hands and swallowed.

"Why? She's ugly and vicious..."

"Stop it! You didn't really think we would be together forever, did you?"

"No, I guess... It's just that I'm still in love with you, and I was so much more in love with you the first night I saw the two of you together. You hadn't even told her about me; or me about her. I thought I had you, I was your girlfriend. But you were in love with her even then."

"I've been such a coward, hiding behind things. But I can't be anymore. Not when I'm with her", Draco said and looked over his shoulder.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Pansy suddenly changed. "Why is she so much better than me? You didn't think once about telling me a bit earlier and sparing my feelings?"

"I've tried to tell you for months! All you do is talking about other things or trying to snog with me to get away from the subject."

"You're a sodding arse, do you know that?" Pansy got up, pushed Draco in the chest and left the room quickly. He had a feeling this conversation wasn't over.

.

Alice was surprised by his actions, but found herself enjoying it rather quickly. It was more then she'd expected for a first kiss in public.

"Way to go, Draco!" Theodore Nott was the one to give attention to them. Alice felt the blush rising on her cheeks and Draco finishing off the kiss.

"You told me I needed to be more courageous", he said with a shy smile. "I spoke to Pansy as well", he said before Alice had the chance to say anything.

"How did she take it?" Alice asked and glanced to the side, over at Pansy. Her dark eyes had turned black of malice and the expression on her face told the story of her wanting Alice dead.

"Well, at first she seemed alright and then she flipped", he said. "I think she'll try to kill me."

"Are you lovebirds going to stand here all day or do you want to go outside to enjoy the weather?" Daphne said with smile. Alice blushed, when her gaze met with Daphne's. It wasn't like her to act like this; it wasn't like her to actually be in love. Draco took her hand as they walked after Daphne and Blaise to the warm sun that was shining. Blaise took a step in towards Daphne and walked close by her. He bent down to whisper something to Daphne and Alice realised she wasn't the only one blushing. Something had changed by late, hopefully for the better.

**So, here you go, two new chapters in one night! I do have a question for you though. I've been starting to think about exactly where this story is going and therefore about the end as well. I do have a question for you – would you like a happy ending or a bit less happy but still great ending? Review and share your thoughts in the matter. Cheers! :)**


	36. Chapter 36

So, I'm starting to get back in to my Harry Potter obsession, and with that my Alice obsession. This basically means that I'm going to try and write more and update faster as ideas are flowing in to my brain! Yeey :D

Thank you all for reading, reviewing and putting my story on your alerts! :)

Alice2Epic – Thank you for the review! Is Alice going to die? I don't know actually – maybe she'll find a way, maybe she won't. And she's not telling anyone because I think she's a bit ashamed of it.

And guys – I still want to know. A happy ending or a not so happy, but still super great ending? Tell me what you think! :)

.

Chapter 36

.

Draco came out of nowhere, only to bend down and kiss Alice on the lips before disappearing in the crowd again. It was something he'd been doing lately, just popping up to give her a kiss before going to the next class.

"Oh", sighed Daphne with a smile. "I wish someone would just pop up to give me a kiss as well." Alice smiled, a bit embarrassed actually. She didn't mind everyone knowing but she was still very private and liked to keep her business to herself.

"I've been waiting for you to get together all year and now that you are it's just so much better then I imagined", said Daphne with a silly smile on her lips. "I've never seen you so happy, Alice. I haven't seen Draco this happy either."

"Maybe someone would give you a kiss if you allowed them", Alice suggested with a smirk.

"Ha-ha, very funny", said Daphne a bit dampened. And then all of the sudden Draco stood before them again, with Blaise at his side, bending down to kiss Alice once more on the lips. Alice didn't mind, the opposite actually. It gave her a warm feeling in the chest every time he appeared and a tingle in her stomach every time he kissed her. But this time he didn't run off to the next class as usual, as he had only minutes earlier. Instead he put an arm around Alice's shoulders and started walking down the corridor with them. Alice looked over at Blaise; he looked at her with a soft smile before returning his gaze to Daphne.

"We realised we had a free period before lunch", Blaise said and for a moment, it looked as he was considering taking Daphne's hand. "Let's enjoy the weather, shall we?" He did have a point; the weather was rather lovely as they were reaching the middle of June. Draco held Alice back to create a distance between them and Blaise and Daphne.

"School's going to end soon and we'll have to go home", he said in a whisper so that only Alice could hear. "I don't want to go home; I don't want to leave this." Alice knew what he meant, she knew what he was talking of. "I'm scared, Alice." Alice stopped and turned towards him, putting her hands around his face.

"We'll get through this, together", Alice ensured him calmly. "He cannot take away what we have."

"He could kill us." Draco's voice shivered.

"Then we will join the afterlife together. I will always be at your side." Draco smiled for a second. Alice took his hand and started walking after their friends again. They found them by the three at the lake.

"We're taking a bath, the water is so warm. Join us guys!" Daphne said as she stripped in to her underwear.

"No thank you, I'm fine", said Alice in amusement as Daphne and Blaise ran towards the water. Draco pulled Alice down before him, leaning against the three in the sun. Alice pulled of her shoes, feeling the soft grass between her toes.

"I live the summer, how you never need to wear shoes. How the sun warms your body and the birds fly around in the skies." Alice took of her sweater and pulled the dress up to let a bit more of her legs in the sunlight.

"Are you not warm? I can help you roll up your sleeves", Alice said and unbuttoned the sleeve on his right arm. As she got to the left arm however Draco reacted quickly by pulling it away.

"Not that one", he said in a haste and buttoned it up again.

"Why not?" Alice asked and looked at him in surprise. He looked around and then pulled the sleeve up to his elbow.

"Because of this", he said and showed her the dark mark, burn upon his flesh. Alice took hold of his arm and pulled it closer to her.

"What is this?" She asked. Draco pulled down the sleeve again and buttoned it.

"Your father gave it to me, when he made me a Death Eater", Draco said.

"Does it hurt?" He shook his head.

"Not anymore." He pulled Alice closer so that she would lean back against his chest again. Clearly he didn't want to talk too much about it.

"I love summer rains", Alice continued. Draco pulled her hair to one side and kissed her gently in the neck. "I love how it feels when you kiss me."

"I love the summer too", he said and twirled his fingers in between hers. "I met you in the summer", he said in a whisper. "I fell in love with you during the summer", he paused for a moment. "It will be in the summer that I first say how much..." Daphne interrupted him as she came running towards them, completely soaked with the cold water dripping around her.

"Can I have a hug?" She asked with a devilish smile. "C'mon Alice!" She said when neither of them responded. Daphne bent down and pretty much lied down on top of Alice to make her as wet as possible.

"Oh god, that is cold", said Alice and tried to flee. Somehow it ended with Daphne, carrying Alice down towards the water.

"No! NO!" Alice yelled as they came closer to the shoreline. "Don't, please don't!" she cried out just as Daphne jumped down in the water, with Alice.

"I told you the water was great", Daphne laughed as they got to the surface again.

"I think I just died for a moment", said Alice and stroked the water out of her face. "Oh wipe that smirk of your face", she said to Draco, who was standing at the shoreline – all dry – with a smile on his lips.

"Where's Blaise?" He asked and looked out over the water.

"You didn't really think she was the only one getting wet?" said Blaise from behind him just before he pulled Draco in the water, just like Alice had been pulled only a minute before. They all started laughing, plashing water at one another. Perhaps this is how it was to be a normal teenager, though Alice as she watched her friends having fun. In that moment, everything felt so carefree, so simple.

.

Alice walked to the big door on the fifth floor. It was absolutely silent, perhaps because of the late hour.

"Lemon Soap", she said and the lock clicked open. The room as much bigger that she'd thought it to be. To her left were stalls with toilets and to her right a large tub that was filled o the brink with bubbles and water. Alice closed the door slowly behind her.

"Who's there?" Draco stood turned towards her in the tub, reaching for his clothes and his wand. "Bloody hell, Alice!" He said as he saw her and quickly sank down in the water again, sheltering his body from her gaze. Alice pulled off her shoes and socks and walked over to the brink and sat down, with her feet in the water.

"You know I'm naked, right?" he said, looking away from her and making sure the bubbles cowered most of his body.

"I know. I just wanted you to myself for a moment", she said and swooped around with her legs in the water. He turned towards her, went over and leaned his arms on her legs. Alice stroked his cheek and smiled. "How are you doing?" He shrugged his shoulders and looked down. Alice put her hands on his shoulders; they were as bony as ever.

"What?" He asked as she started squeezing his arms and shoulders. Alice made him stand. It wasn't hard to count his ribs.

"Do you even have time to eat?" she asked and gently touched his naked body. "Love, you're fading away..."

"I'm not fading away", he defended himself. "It's just been a bit..."

"You don't have to explain yourself", Alice said and looked him in the eyes. She pulled him even closer and put her arms around his neck.

"Things will change, won't they?" he asked and put his arms around her as well.

"Yes", she breathed out. He leaned his forehead on hers. "But we won't, just like I said." He pulled her in to a kiss that lasted in passion and desire. "What were you about to say? Earlier today before Daphne interrupted you?"

"Oh, it was nothing", he said and looked down, only to lean his head and arms at her thighs again. Alice felt something pull inside of her. Something as pushing around to take space, it was as if something tried to posses her. Pushing her own consciousness away.

"Are you alright? You don't look well", Draco asked. Alice body went slack and Draco had to hold her up so she wouldn't fall backwards. Her eyes opened again and they immediately went to Draco. As she started to speak, her voice had changed its tone and came from deeper in the throat, giving it a rust touch.

"Do you really have time for this?" Draco backed off and his eyes widened. "Spending one on one time with my daughter when there are more pressing concerns?" Draco didn't know what to say, was this one of his really bad nightmares?

"If you fail, not only your life will be at stake, but those who you call family as well." Draco started shaking, this was one thing too many for him to handle.

"What do you want from me? I am trying as hard as I can", he said between his shaking teeth.

"See it done, and your life shall be spared." Then Alice's body fell backwards again, all slack and unconscious. She sat up.

"I'm sorry. He kept pushing trough and I couldn't hold it back..."

"You don't have to explain, Alice", said Draco and moved back to his position in front of her. "I love you", he said all of the sudden.

"What?" Alice said with the beginning of a smile on her lips.

"I love you", he said again and she bent down and kissed him. Draco pulled her closer to him and down in the water. Alice yelped out in surprise before they laughed.

"My clothes are getting wet", she said and clung on to him. He kissed her, smiled and pulled the dress over her head. Alice sank down in the water, standing on her own and looked up at him. "I love you too", she said. They kissed and Alice let her hands run over his naked body as they pressed themselves against each other.

.

"I have a question, if you don't mind, sir?" Alice said. Professor Dumbledore looked over his glasses and smiled.

"Ask away", he said calmly.

"Well, the other night when I was in the bath wi..." she paused, did she really have to tell him that part? "By myself... I felt strange and then it was like my body was possessed."

"Someone was taking over?" He asked to clarify what she was telling.

"Not really someone, sir, it was like another part of me that pushed trough." They sat under silence for a moment. "I'm not mad."

"No, I don't think you are", professor Dumbledore said and leaned forward in the chair. "What happened when you where possessed? What did it say?"

"He threatened Draco to his life, along with his family's."

"Because he is with you?" Alice straightened up and looked at him curiously, how could this old man know of her love life? "Oh, Alice, I knew from the beginning you two had eyes for each other. And rumours like that tend to travel rather quickly in his school." He smiled, even laughed a bit and Alice felt the mood lighten up again.

"Can you help him?" asked Alice. "Can you save him from this?"


	37. Chapter 37

So this is a bit lighter than usual, and a bit longer too I noticed. It can't be all too serious all the time, now can we? ;) But I still hope you'll like this chapter as much as the others.

Thanks to those who's been reviewing and reading! I've gotten a bit less reviews lately and it'd made me wonder if you don't like the story anymore? It'd be great if you reviewed, both good and bad! Just so I know you're still reading :)

And btw, I still want to know what kind of ending you want ;)

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Chapter 37

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"Draco, wake up!" Alice continued to shake his body in the hopes of he would wake up anytime soon. Sure, they'd been up a bit late last night but the clock had passed nine already and Alice had been up for a couple of hours.

"Blimey", he said with his voice thick of the morning and pulled his bedcover up under his chin.

"Sip it Alice, I can't sleep", Blaise said from the bed behind her.

"But we forgot –" Blaise interrupted her.

"No, Alice, whisper or leave."

"When did you get up?" Draco whispered and opened one eye to look at her.

"Just a couple of hours ago, but Draco –"

"Why are you still in your pyjamas?" he interrupted her and opened his other eye as well.

"We didn't celebrate your birthday." Draco sighed and sat up.

"I know", he said, without looking at her. "I hid all day to not have to do that."

"And I looked for you all day, but then you got me to think about something else and I completely forgot. Oh, I feel like such a bad person", said Alice, she was truly sorry.

"Why don't we start my pretend birthday..." He grabbed her pyjamas sweater and pulled down in the bed. "...With some snuggle." They kissed, without really carrying if anyone saw or heard. Blaise did hear, and he feared – if he opened his eyes he would see too.

"You guys really know how to get someone out of bed in the morning." He frowned, turned the other way and hurried out of bed. Not that he did mind, he actually enjoyed it a bit. He'd never imagined seeing either of them acting so cheesy or so much in love. Well, that Draco would was not really that much of a surprise. The way he'd spoken about Alice ever since Blaise had told him to go get her gave it away. He hadn't done it for Draco, he didn't matter that much. It was for Alice, it was always for Alice. Blaise pushed the thoughts out from his mind, if someone would be able to read them he'd bee to ashamed. He didn't do things for others, he did things for himself. Speaking of, Daphne stepped out from the girls' dormitory on the opposite side of the corridor. Blaise put on a smile and met her gaze. A smile placed itself on Daphne's lips as well.

"What are you laughing about?" She asked and they walked down the corridor side by side.

"Oh, nothing", he said, still with the smile. "I just couldn't help smiling when I saw you." Daphne decided to ignore what he'd said.

"Have you seen Alice?" She asked instead and looked around the almost empty common room.

"Where do you think she is?" And Daphne's gaze went over her shoulder and back towards the dormitories.

"Ah", she said, but with a smile.

"Have you had breakfast?" asked Blaise as they strolled through the common room. Daphne hadn't and they made their way to the Great Hall.

.

When they got back from the meal, Alice and Draco had left and the boy's dormitory and the room stood empty, unlike the common room. Blaise invited Daphne in and they sat down on the sofa by the fireplace. Blaise watched Daphne when she didn't pay attention to him. It was something about her. She was just as beautiful as Alice. Blaise had always liked her, but this year she'd grown in to her body which made him notice her on a completely different level. She was smart, attractive and with a smile on her lips most of the time. Sure, Alice was something, she really was. But Daphne was too. He had a hard time placing the feelings he had towards the woman next to him in the sofa. But one thing was sure – he couldn't be without her. And that time he'd kissed her, well, that was something. The warm feeling in his chest, the tingle in his stomach...

"What?" Daphne asked, she had caught Blaise stare at her with a smile on his lips.

"Nothing", he said, still with the smile. He wasn't thinking about what he was doing, and suddenly Daphne started laughing out of control.

"Stop, it tickles!" Blaise's smiled widened and he started tickle her for real. She laughs became louder and Daphne's pleading for him to stop did as well.

"Blaise! Blaise, I'm going to kill you if you don't stop!" He stopped and looked at her in surprise.

"No, you wouldn't!" He said with an exaggerated expression on his face.

"Would!" She started laughing again. "You should have seen your face!" She laughed. They sat quiet for a moment, catching their breaths.

"Do you think it's going to happen?" Daphne's voice had gone from cheerful to anxious and frightened.

"What is?" Blaise asked and tilted his head slightly towards her. Daphne leaned her head against his shoulder, as comfort.

"The war", she said and looked in to the fire in the fireplace.

"Yes", he said and looked down on his hands. "Yes I do."

"I just can't stop thinking that people I love might die, you know?" Blaise put a comforting hand upon hers and gently stroke it with his thumb.

"I don't think you should worry too much actually. None of us do. We're not really hated by anyone and we're both purebloods, right?"

"Right", she said, still with the lack of hope in her voice.

"Hey, look at me", said Blaise and lifted her chin up with his hand. "It's going to be alright, I promise you. Alice wouldn't let anything happen to us."

"She can't always protect us, Blaise." Daphne avoided his gaze, even though he still had his hand under her chin.

"Then we'll have each other", Blaise said calmly. "Or am I not good enough for you?" Daphne cracked up in a smile and pushed him lightly in the chest.

"You know you are", she laughed and he joined her in it.

"You're so beautiful when you laugh", he said when they'd stopped.

"Stop it, Blaise..." Daphne started.

"No Daph, you really are." Daphne pulled away from him, giving him an evil glare.

"I told you how I feel about this", she said and stood up. Blaise did so as well and took a step towards her.

"I've seen they way you look at me, and I've seen the way you look at Alice and Draco. I know you want the same, you're just too afraid asking for it!" Before she had the chance to say anything else Blaise had taken yet a step forwards, pressing his lips against hers. Blaise waited for her reaction, there was none. When she didn't move he tried taking the kiss deeper, making it more passionate. But with this Daphne's reaction came.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly, still standing only inches apart from him. "I'm nothing special, I'm nothing like Alice."

"No one is like Alice", he said and smiled at the thought of it. Daphne took a step away from him.

"Why are you doing this when you clearly still is in love with her?"

"I'm _not _in love with her Daph", he said with a serious tone.

"Well, you have to stop kissing me all the time anyway!" She said in frustration. They were interrupted as Alice walked in to the room – without pants.

"Guys?" she asked after she'd been looking around in the room for a while, mostly beside Draco's bed. "Have you seen my pants?"

"They're on my bed", Blaise said. Alice turned around and, just like Blaise said, found them on the bed.

"Oh, right. Thanks!" She said and ran out from the room with her pants in her hand. They turned towards each other again, and the amusement from Alice's brief visit was gone.

"I want you, Daph", Blaise said, "not Alice."

"Don't give me that, Blaise! I saw the way you were looking at her just now!" The door swung open again, but this time it was Draco that came in to the room – without a shirt. He too walked up to his bed and started looking for something in the mess on the floor.

"Have you seen Alice or my shirt?" He asked, after giving up on the search.

"I've seen your shirt on Alice, just a moment ago", said Daphne said with a smile.

"Thanks!" He said and got up and ran out the door screaming "_Alice"! _all over the place.

"Those two", Daphne said with a laugh.

"They're prefect together", Blaise said and looked at Daphne. "As we would be too."

"Blaise, please stop it. You only want me because you can't have Alice!"

"I'll do anything to prove it, that it's you I want", he said in a whisper.

"I want you to stop. I want you to never mention this, never to kiss me, never compliment me or do anything to show your feelings for me", she said and looked him in the eyes to prove that she meant what she said.

"Okay", he said and looked at the wall slightly to the left from her face.

"Okay?" He nodded to her surprise. It wasn't like Blaise to do things other asked of him. He'd always been one to do things _he _wanted.

"Okay", he said once more. Blaise turned around and walked up to his bed; he picked up a jumper and tossed it over his shoulder before he headed towards the door.

"I'm going outside for a bit, you're free to join me if you'd like", he said before leaving the room and heading upstairs and outside. The sun was shining like it only could do in June and the soft breeze made it almost too pleasant. Daphne didn't catch up with him until he'd left the courtyard and was heading down towards the lake. They walked in silence all the way down to the shoreline. Blaise took of his shoes, folded his pants up and walked out a yard or so in the water. He heard water splashing behind him and turned around only to see Alice drag Daphne out in the water, stopping next to him.

"I love you guys", Alice said as she stood between them and looked out over the lake. They didn't say anything for a while. Blaise met Daphne's gaze and saw the worries that played before her eyes. Alice was up to something, and Daphne knew what it was.

"Where have you done of Draco?" Blaise asked to break the silence. Alice looked up at him with her eyebrows raised and her face full of reflection – where had she left him?

"Um", she said and started looking around. Then he just stood beside Blaise on his other side, looking out over the water just like Alice had. "There he is", she said and smiled brightly.

"You don't say?" The irony in Blaise's' voice made them all laugh.

"Alice, you know you're in the water, right?" Draco said and looked over at his girlfriend. "Your dress is getting wet." He was right; Alice's dress ended right above her knees and the water went a bit up her thighs. Blaise hadn't realised how small she actually was before. Sure, she was shorter than him, shorter then Draco and Daphne too. She didn't even reach him to the shoulder actually.

"Oh", she said with smile, but didn't do anything about it.

"You're rather short", Blaise said, without really thinking about it.

"You just noticed?" She asked with an amused smile. "Five months of dating, and you just noticed?" She laughed, the way only Alice could laugh.

"Did you too notice how your back starts acing after a while?" Draco said with just as an amused smile on his lips. Blaise didn't say anything, he just smiled.

"I have to tell you something", Alice suddenly said to Daphne and pulled her towards land. Daphne looked as confused as ever but seemed rather okay with it. The boys turned around and watched them get out of the water and sitting down on the grass a bit away from the lake.

"You've changed", Blaise said to his friend. Draco tore his gaze from the girls and looked at Blaise.

"I have?" He asked with his hands in his pockets. Blaise nodded.

"For the better", he assured Draco quickly. "I wasn't sure if I could stand you any longer if you hadn't." Draco returned to looking at Alice. "You were grumpy and rather mean. The normal comments on each other are kind of fun – but the way you were acting, not so much."

"Alice does that to you, doesn't she?" Draco said with a soft smile. Then his face changed. "I'm sorry", he said and Blaise could tell he really meant it.

"For what?" Their eyes met.

"For taking her from you." Blaise shrugged his shoulders.

"She was never mine to begin with", he said and Draco looked surprised. "She was always yours." Their eyes met again and a moment of understanding was shared. "What on earth has happened to your hair?" Draco raised his eyebrows.

"You don't like it?"

Over on the grass Alice and Daphne had a not so different conversation. Alice was lying on her back, watching the clouds pass by whilst Daphne was deep in her own thoughts of what Alice had said. _I can tell something has changed between you and Blaise, if you like him Daph, you should go for it. He's a great guy. _Nothing did ever escape her. It was to Daphne's surprise that Ginny Weasley came up and sat down next to Alice, chatting like they were great friends.

"You've been outside much, haven't you?" Ginny asked and sighed at the look of Alice's tanned skin. "I turn red and then go back to being white again."

"I know a great spell you can use! My mum was just like you, just getting red and then back to white again", Alice said and started showing Ginny the spell. Daphne looked over at her friend. She was so normal, so carefree. Much unlike the way she had been acting most of the year. Daphne liked this side of her better. She knew the other part of Alice was still left, that under the surface her brain was working like ever before on plans and her father and stuff like that. But it was still nice to see Alice being happy, like a normal sixteen year old girl. It wasn't until Daphne heard another unfamiliar voice that she broke out of her thoughts.

"Harry Potter", the voice said and Daphne's head snapped to her left, only to see Harry Potter standing there, holding his hand out towards Alice.

"Alice Greengrass", Alice said and it made Daphne wonder why she didn't use her real name.

"You look very familiar", Harry said and watched Alice closely.

"We've met", Alice said and Harry looked surprised. "At Slughorn's Christmas Party, I was the girl that spilled Butterbeer..."

"On my shirt, right, no I remember", Harry laughed before he and Ginny said goodbye and walked off to their friends. Draco and Blaise got up to them and looked at Potter suspiciously, but none of them said anything.

"Have your hair always been a bit curly, Draco?" Daphne asked as both of the boys sat down next to Alice. It wasn't until now she'd noticed the small waves in Draco's hair.

"No", Draco said, "Alice was up all night braiding it because she wanted to see how I would look with curly hair." Daphne looked over at Alice, who couldn't stop herself from laughing.

"It's all natural", Alice said and pulled her fingers though his hair. "Doesn't he look cute in it?" Daphne couldn't but agree; he looked much nicer and much mischievous with his hair like that opposed to his normal, slicked back hair. The couple shared a quick kiss and Daphne did actually feel a bit jealous. She wanted someone to care for her like that; she wanted to be in love like that too. Her gaze went over to Blaise, and their eyes met.

.

Alice stood leaned with her back against the wall and her arms crossed, not that she was angry or unhappy, she just found that position most comfortable at the moment. Draco stood with his hand leaning on the wall next to her, bent down to meet her gaze.

"Thanks you for today", he said with a smile and a gently stroke on the cheek with his free hand.

"I wish every day would be like today", Alice admitted and smiled back at him. "Just us, with our friends and not a care in the world." Draco kissed her lightly on the lips.

"I love you", he said and kissed her again.

"Got yourself a new girlfriend, _Draco?_" The voice was too familiar. "Pansy wasn't good enough for you anymore?"

"Why is that any of your business, _Harry_?" Draco responded. It sounded more than strange that they called each other buy their first names. Draco didn't turn from Alice; he still had his back towards Potter and his entourage.

"Shouldn't you be off with your Death Eater friends to bully some first years? Leave the poor girl alone", said Potter and Alice could hear the smirk on his lips. It was like Potter though he was doing her a favour by getting rid of Draco.

"C'mon Draco, let's just go", she said in a whisper. But Draco was furious and turned towards Potter with his wand pulled out. Alice stepped out from behind him and put a hand on his.

"It's not worth it", she said and looked him in the eyes. Draco lowered his wand, but only a bit.

"Alice?" Harry suddenly said. Alice turned towards him. "Why are you with _him_?" The tone of disgust was more than noticeable.

"Because he loves me, and I love him", she said without hesitation. Harry was so stunned that he just left, Hermione and Ron following him without a word. Draco put his wand in his pocket again and turned towards Alice.

"I have to go and work on the..." Alice nodded and kissed him.

"I'll see you later", she said and Draco turned to walk away. But he stopped and turned back before Alice even had thought about leaving.

"Marry me", he said in complete determination.


	38. Chapter 38

So, chapter 38. This is a long one. Probably the longest I've written so far – so I hope you'll enjoy it. It's a bit more action in this one, opposed to the latest ones I've posted.

And if I've understand it right; there is some confusion about Alice's behaviour. But I promise you all, there is an explanation that will be given, if you haven't already figured it out. But it won't come just yet, in a few chapters perhaps.

Thank you all for reviewing! I think this last chapter is the one with the most reviews ever – so why don't we this one even more? ;) Well, thanks again for reading, reviewing, putting on favourite and alert! Cheers!

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Chapter 38

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Alice was completely still, she hadn't moved for quite the while. If you don't count the small motion of her right hand spinning the ring on her left hand around her finger. Alice felt a bit numbed. As she had done the last couple of days. Daphne was a bit out of it as well, not her usual self. And then there was Blaise and Draco, perhaps a bit numbed themselves. Summer had come for real, the heat and the flowers were just beautiful. Alice sighed over and over again, not sure what to make of herself this day.

"Alice, please, will you stop it?" Daphne said and grabbed her hand. Alice looked up at her and stopped the spinning of the ring.

"Sorry", she said. Alice looked around; the weather was nice but the grounds were empty. Probably because it was lunchtime and most were in the Great Hall.

"You know..." she started and started twisting the ring around her finger once more. "I'll be leaving soon."

"We all will", Daphne said with a smile. Alice shook her head.

"No, I'll be leaving tonight." She had a strange feeling that tonight would be the night. She closed her eyes and let the sun warm her skin for a quiet moment. When she opened her eyes again Daphne looked at her with concern.

"Will I ever see you again?" Daphne asked softly.

"I don't know..." They looked at one another with understanding. "I wish I'll be able to explain some time", said Alice, her voice unsure of the words.

"It's fine Alice, really", Daphne said, but Alice didn't miss the tears she was blinking away.

"Daph", Alice put an arm around her as comfort.

"Just come say goodbye before you leave", Daphne said.

"I will", said Alice, still with the arm around her best friend. Blaise came walking towards them with his usual, proud posture and his hands in his pockets. Not to Alice's surprise, he sat down next to Daphne in the shadow of the tree.

"I'll see you later guys", Alice said and got up. Daphne reacted immediately and took a firm grip on her hand.

"Promise you'll write to me, as often as you can", she demanded and the tears started rolling down her face.

"I promise", Alice said with a smile. Daphne turned towards Blaise and leaned her head against his chest to hide the tears from the rest of the world. Alice was heading for the castle, but made a turn in her way and started walking along the line of the forbidden forest instead. Even though the place was rather dull and all too dark for Alice's liking she found it the perfect place for cleansing her thoughts. There were certainly a lot of thoughts that had reason to occupy her mind. If tonight was the night, things would change beyond reckoning. They'd have to leave and face _him. _Alice's eyes went down to her left hand and to the ring upon it. It was the sapphire ring Draco always used to wear. She smiled at the thought of him – and the thought of how great they were together. That pounding feeling in the chest, the smile upon their lips and the tingle when their bodies touched. What would it cost them now? What would become of them when things changed like this? Alice didn't even notice she'd walked all the way up to Hagrid's hut and that she'd almost run over the dog.

"Miss Gaunt", Hagrid said. "Alice." Alice looked up at her abnormally large professor. "Yer alright there?"

"I'm fine, thank you", she said, not completely telling the truth. "Actually, sir, there's something I've meant to ask you." Hagrid looked surprised but invited her to ask the questions she had.

"Well, you went to school with someone I unfortunately happens to know. Tom Riddle, right?" He nodded. "Was he ever a good person?" Once again, Hagrid looked surprised and didn't know what to say.

"No", he then said after a far too long moment of silence. Perhaps that's why he had gotten the unpleasant feeling from her – the feeling that she knew far too much and was far too bright for a girl her age. There was no other reason – this girl, this child was without doubt Tom Riddle's daughter. He wondered how many else that knew. Was he supposed to tell Dumbledore about this, or did he, as Hagrid thought, already know about it? Alice walked on, as if she never had bumped in to Hagrid in the first place, occupied once more by her thoughts. And then she realised it.

.

Professor Dumbledore was waiting patiently for the girl before him to catch her breath. He had, to say the least, been rather stunned when Alice had run in to his office. She finally had calmed herself enough to look at him and speak.

"Tonight", she said and took a deep breath before she said the word again. "Tonight."

"What about tonight?" Alice looked around in the room.

"You're leaving?" She asked at the sight of his travelling cloak.

"Just momentarily. I'll be back for tonight", he said and clutched his hand together underneath his chin, like he always did.

"I have a feeling that tonight is the night", Alice said, without really clarifying what she meant. Dumbledore smiled over his glasses.

"Then tonight is the night", he said, calm as ever. Alice felt the panic building up inside of her.

"You're just going to accept it? Don't you understand what is going to happen?" She was halfway out of her seat before he interrupted her.

"I know very well what's about to happen tonight, Alice. There is no need to worry." He smiled again, that calm, knowing smile.

"But I'm not ready..."

"No one is ever ready for something like this." Alice felt uncomfortable, knowing this was probably the last conversation she'd ever have with the man. "I've spoken to Severus, Alice. Everything is taken care of. He will escort you to the location when the time has come." Alice didn't say anything; she couldn't say anything. Maybe her guts were wrong; maybe there was a long time before it'd happen. But then again, her guts never seemed to be wrong.

"Don't pity me, Alice. I've lived my life and I am pleased with it. Death would come either way", he said with a smile.

"Thank you", said Alice, she finally had found her voice again. "For setting me straight." Alice got up and left with that. There wasn't much more to say. Well, actually there was a lifetime of things she would like to say, to talk about. But it had to be enough. He was right, she wasn't ready, she never would be. But at least she knew he'd be proud of her as long as she did her best. His eyes told so. Alice rounded the corner and hurried passed Harry Potter and professor Trelawney; they didn't even seem to notice her. And then all of the sudden Draco stepped out in from of her and picked her up in a tight embrace.

"I did it Alice", he whispered before putting her down and giving her a loving kiss. The relief and happiness glanced in his eyes and those small stripes of blue, that mostly went unnoticed, lit up like they always did when he met her gaze. "They'll be coming soon." Draco picked up something from his pocket; a coin by the looks of it.

"Dumbledore's left the castle", Draco said – which made Alice wonder what kind of coin that actually was. That was it then. All they could do now was wait. The waiting was probably the worst part. Blaise and Daphne sat quiet next to the couple by the fireplace, feeling the tension of the coming event. Draco was shaking, jumping at every movement in the room. Alice felt calm, she was confident everything would work out like planned and most importantly, she had confidence in Draco.

"Have you packed your bag?" Alice asked, finally breaking the silence. Draco nodded.

"Alice", he whispered, none of the others heard. "What if I fail and Dumbledore kills me instead?"

"No, Draco", she said and stroke his cheek. "He wouldn't kill you, he'll never kill you. If anything, he'd protect you." They went back in to silence again. The very air felt thick and there was a foul smell lingering because of a group first-years. Altogether, it was hard to breathe. Alice was the one to break the silence again.

"I can' just sit here, it's driving me nuts", she said and the rest agreed.

"I've got to go do something", said Draco and got up from the sofa.

"You want company?" He hesitated, rocking back and forth on his feet. "No..." He finally decided and left the room in a hurry. He had every little detail planned out; the first destination was the room of requirement and the vanishing cabinet there. The corridors were less them empty. He recognized most of them – all friends of Harry bloody Potter and most of them were in that silly group _Dumbledore's Army _from last year. Had they been a bit less ignorant they'd discovered him. But Draco had become rather familiar with shortcuts and secret passages this past year. The corridor on the seventh floor was, however, empty. He stepped back and forth three times and the door became visible. Well inside, he made his way to the cabinet quickly and put the note inside it; the not that told the other to come through, the note that set tonight's event in motion. He didn't stay long enough to see everyone that came through. He walked the path towards the astronomy tower. It was the best place – no one could ambush him and no one would be able to escape. There was only one way out of this. The death of Albus Dumbledore. Draco focused on his breathing, it was hastened and uneven. He was scared – of course he was. This was after all Albus Dumbledore, legend, headmaster, powerful. But he'd been trusted with this; _he _hadn't doubted Draco's ability to see this through and Draco had no plans on failing.

The Death Eaters had caught up with him and were walking slightly behind him, keeping careful eyes on everything. And there it was, as they turned to corner the Weasley girl was standing by herself in the middle of the corridor. Draco raised his wand and shot a silent spell towards her – his aim perfect yet the spell yawed to the left and hit one of the armours standing there. And then, out of nowhere the corridor was filled of her friends. Draco had no problem dodging the few spells that were casted towards him. Apparently he wasn't seen as the treat. Alecto Carrow took a grip around Draco's collar and pushed him forward.

"Get on with it!" She hissed at him. Draco passed the fighting group unnoticed and headed for the astronomy tower. He picked up the coin as he got to the top of the stair. _He's back. _Draco went over to the far end of the room and glanced down towards the lights of Hogsmeade. For a second, Draco hesitated. But then again, the others were downstairs, fighting, he couldn't leave now. Everyone would know then, that he'd failed, that he was nothing; just like they accused him of being.

"Morsmorde!" He said firmly and pointed to the sky. The mark, the dark mar, his mark appeared above his head. Then again, he could do nothing but wait. He went outside, closed the door behind him and sat down. The narrow space felt lonely; perhaps it'd been better if he'd asked Alice to come. No, she had to be left out of this, of this part of the plan. He couldn't sit there; his nerves would get the best of him. Grunts, panting, the screaming of spells yelled trough the castle. The fight had moved from the corridor to a wider, more open area. Draco hid himself behind a corner. He couldn't risk getting hit himself, then the whole mission would fail before it'd started for real. He shot all kinds of spells he could think of around the corner, aiming carefully so they would only hit those of the opposite side. But just as before, the spells changed direction and hit the wall beside whoever he'd been aiming for. He pulled up the coin from his pocket once more. A new message was sent. Dumbledore had left Hogsmeade, heading for the astronomy tower. Draco felt his pulse rising again. This was it then. He'd gone over it so many times in his mind it didn't feel real. Dumbledore the fool, taking his bait so easily. Draco stepped over a body, he didn't have time to see who it was, someone from the other side, as they were not wearing the robes Death Eaters wore. He heard a cry from afar, closing up on him. It was the bird, that bloody bird of Dumbledore's. Draco tried to pass it, but the broad wings of colourful feathers made it impossible.

"Fawkes." The bird turned its head and looked down the corridor. Draco passed it silently and the bird walked over to Alice instead. "You know what to do", said Alice and the bird miraculously flew away. Draco didn't have time to stop and talk to her, even though that was probably the thing he wanted to do most in the world. He wondered what Alice would do in his place. Would he have done it? No, she was braver then that. She would dare defy her father, unlike him. He was weak, fragile and he would fail. No! Those kind of thoughts could not have voice again in his mind. They were rubbish and could not fill his mind in a situation like this. No. Draco opened the door and stepped in to room, filled by the chilly night air. Draco reacted instinctively as he saw the old man pull out his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" Silence followed.

"Good evening, Draco." Draco stepped forwards, glancing around quickly to check that he and Dumbledore were alone. His eyes fell upon the second broom.

"Who else is here?"

"A question I might ask you. Or are you acting alone?" Draco's gaze shifted back to Dumbledore, who was in the greenish glare of the Mark.

"No," he said. "I've got back-up. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight."

"Well, well," said Dumbledore and Draco felt almost as if he'd shown the man an ambitious homework project. "Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"

"Yeah," said Draco, who was still panting from the run. "Right under your nose and you never realised!"

"Ingenious," said Dumbledore. "Yet ... forgive me ... where are they now? You seem unsupported."

"They met some of your guard. They're having a fight down below. They won't be long ... I came on ahead. I-I've got a job to do."

"Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy," said Dumbledore softly. There was silence. Draco could hear sounds of the Death Eaters' distant fight, and in front of him stood Albus Dumbledore who, incredibly, smiled.

"Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."

"'How do you know?" said Draco at once, and just as quickly he realised how childish the words had sounded.

"You don't know what I'm capable of," he continued, "you don't know what I've done!"

"Oh, yes, I do," said Dumbledore mildly. "You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts ... so feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart has been really in it..."

"It has been in it!" said Draco vehemently. "I've been working on it all year, and tonight..." Somewhere in the depths of the castle below a muffled yell could be heard. Draco felt his body stiffen and glanced over his shoulder.

"Somebody is putting up a good fight," said Dumbledore conversationally. "But you were saying, yes, you have managed to introduce Death Eaters into my school which, I admit, I thought impossible ... how did you do it?" But Draco didn't respond; he was still listening to whatever was happening below and his whole body had frozen.

"Perhaps you ought to get on with the job alone," suggested Dumbledore. "What if your back-up has been thwarted by my guard? As you have perhaps realised, there are members of the Order of the Phoenix here tonight, too. And after all, you don't really need help ... I have no wand at the moment ... I cannot defend myself." Draco merely stared at him.

"I see," said Dumbledore kindly, when Draco neither moved nor spoke. "You are afraid to act until they join you." Once again Draco's thoughts went to Alice. She wouldn't have hesitated, would she? It was best to just get it over with.

"I'm not afraid!" snarled Draco, though he still made no move to hurt Dumbledore. "It's you who should be scared!"

"But why? I don't think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe ... so tell me, while we wait for your friends, how did you smuggle them in here? It seems to have taken you a long time to work out how to do it." Draco felt both like to shout it out loud, and to vomit. Two urges he pressed down inside of him. He gulped and took several deep breaths, glaring at Dumbledore, his wand pointing directly at the latter's heart. Then, as though he could not help himself, he said, "I had to mend that broken Vanishing Cabinet that no one's used for years. The one Montague got lost in last year."

"Aaaah." Dumbledore's sigh was half a groan. He closed his eyes for a moment.

"That was clever. There is a pair, I take it?"

"The other's in Borgin and Burkes," said Draco, "and they make a kind of passage between them. Montague told me that when he was stuck in the Hogwarts one, he was trapped in limbo but sometimes he could hear what was going on at school, and sometimes what was going on in the shop, as if the Cabinet was travelling between them, but he couldn't make anyone hear him. In the end he managed to Apparate out, even though he'd never passed his test. He nearly died doing it. Everyone thought it was a really good story, but I was the only one who realised what it meant – even Borgin didn't know. I was the one who realised there could be a way into Hogwarts through the Cabinets if I fixed the broken one." It didn't matter if Draco told him this, this old man was about to die anyways.

"Very good," murmured Dumbledore. "So the Death Eaters were able to pass from Borgin and Burkes into the school to help you... A clever plan, a very clever plan and, as you say, right under my nose..."

"Yeah," said Draco. Alice had been right about him after all. He wasn't anything like the others had told – like his father had said. "Yeah, it was!"

"But there were times," Dumbledore went on, "weren't there, when you were not sure you would succeed in mending the Cabinet? And you resorted to crude and badly judged measures such as sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands ... Poisoning mead there was only the slightest chance I might drink."

"Yeah, well, you still didn't realise who was behind that stuff, did you?" Dumbledore slid a little down the ramparts, the strength in his legs apparently fading.

"As a matter of fact, I did," said Dumbledore. "I was sure it was you."

"Why didn't you stop me, then?" Draco felt surprised.

"I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders..."

"He hasn't been doing your orders, he promised my mother!"

"Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but..."

"He's a double-agent, you stupid old man, he isn't working for you, you just think he is!"

"We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape-"

"Well, you're losing your grip, then!" sneered Draco. "He's been offering me plenty of help! Wanting all the glory for himself, wanting a bit of the action, _'What are you doing? Did you do the necklace, that was stupid, it could have blown everything',_ But I haven't told him what I've been doing in the Room of Requirement, he's going to wake up tomorrow and it'll all be over and he won't be the Dark Lord's favourite any more, he'll be nothing compared to me, nothing!" Draco left out the part of how the Dark Lord would finally see him as worthy – worthy of _her._

"Very gratifying," said Dumbledore mildly. "We all like appreciation for our own hard work, of course... But you must have had an accomplice, all the same, someone in Hogsmeade, someone who was able to slip Katie the, the, aaaah..." Dumbledore closed his eyes again and nodded, as though he was about to fall asleep. "Of course, Rosmerta. How long has she been under the Imperius Curse?"

"Got there at last, have you?" Draco taunted the old man. He felt a bit curage started to creep back as Dumbledore realised his actions, and were rather impressed with it. There was another yell from below, rather louder than the last. Draco looked nervously over his shoulder again, then back at Dumbledore, who went on;

"So poor Rosmerta was forced to lurk in her own bathroom and pass that necklace to any Hogwarts student who entered the room unaccompanied? And the poisoned mead, well, naturally, Rosmerta was able to poison it for you before she sent the bottle to Slughorn, believing that it was to be my Christmas present... Yes, very neat, very neat... Poor Mr Filch would not, of course, think to check a bottle of Rosmerta's... Tell me, how have you been communicating with Rosmerta? I thought we had all methods of communication in and out of the school monitored."

"Enchanted coins," said Draco, he felt like he needed to tell Dumbledore this, as if he had to. His wand hand was shaking badly, though his voice had been so steady. "I had one and she had the other and I could send her messages..."

"Isn't that the secret method of communication the group that called themselves Dumbledore's Army used last year?" asked Dumbledore. His voice was light and conversational, but he was slipping an inch lower down the wall as he said it.

"Yeah, I got the idea from them," said Draco, with a pleased smile. "I got the idea of poisoning the mead from the Mudblood Granger, as well, I heard her talking in the library about Filch not recognising potions..."

"Please do not use that offensive word in front of me," said Dumbledore. Draco gave a harsh laugh.

"You care about me saying "Mudblood" when I'm about to kill you?"

"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore, and this time, his feet slide a little on the floor as he struggled to remain upright. "But as for being about to kill me, Draco, you have had several long minutes now. We are quite alone. I am more defenceless than you can have dreamed of finding me, and still you have not acted..." Draco felt his face pulling an unwanted expression. No, he _had _to do this.

"Now, about tonight," Dumbledore went on, "I am a little puzzled about how it happened... You knew that I had left the school? But of course," he answered his own question, "Rosmerta saw me leaving, she tipped you off using your ingenious coins, I'm sure."

"That's right," said Draco. "But she said you were just going for a drink, you'd be back."

"Well, I certainly did have a drink, and I came back, after a fashion," mumbled Dumbledore. "So you decided to spring a trap for me?"

"I decided to put the Dark Mark over the Tower and get you to hurry up here, to see who'd been killed," said Draco. "And it worked!"

"Well yes, and no", said Dumbledore. "But am I to take it, then, that nobody has been murdered?"

"Someone's dead," said Draco and his voice went, unwillingly, up an octave as he said it. "One of your people. I don't know who, it was dark. I stepped over the body... I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way ..."

"Yes, they do that," said Dumbledore. There was a bang and shouts from below, louder than ever; it sounded as though people were fighting on the actual spiral staircase that led to where Dumbledore and Draco stood.

"There is little time, one way or another," said Dumbledore. "So let us discuss your options, Draco."

"My options!" said Draco, a bit louder then he'd meant. "I'm standing here with a wand... I'm about to kill you!"

"My dear boy, let us have no more pretence about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first Disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means."

"I haven't got any options!" said Draco and the colour left his face. He had to do this, to prove himself, to make sure _he _saw how worthy Draco was... "I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!" Dumbledore looked at him as if he knew there was something more to it.

"I appreciate the difficulty of your position," said Dumbledore. "Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realised that I suspected you." Draco reacted as he spoke the name.

"I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you," continued Dumbledore. "But now at last we can speak plainly to each other. No harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived... I can help you, Draco."

"No, you can't," said Draco, his wand hand shaking very badly indeed. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."

"Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban. When the time comes we can protect him too... come over to the right side, Draco you are not a killer."

"But I got this far, didn't I?" he said slowly. "They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here, and you're in my power. I'm the one with the wand. You're at _my_ mercy."

"No, Draco," said Dumbledore quietly. "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now." Draco couldn't get himself to speak; instead he stood there, with his mouth slightly open and his hand, in which he held his wand, dropping by a fraction. But suddenly footsteps were thundering up the stairs and a second later Draco was buffeted out of the way as four people in black robes burst through the door on to the ramparts. A lumpy-looking man with an odd lopsided leer gave a wheezy giggle.

"Dumbledore cornered!" he said, and he turned to a stocky little woman who looked as though she could be his sister and who was grinning eagerly. "Dumbledore wandless, Dumbledore alone! Well done, Draco, well done!"

.

"Daph, I can't live like this, it's not a life." Daphne looked as if she was about to cry. Then she picked Alice's hand up and watched the ring on her finger and the tears started streaming down her face.

"You shouldn't have to live like this, Alice. You're supposed to get married and have beautiful children with Draco and we'd be neighbours and our kids would grow up together and be like sisters and brothers and we'd have a nice, calm life and drink tea every afternoon at four, talking gossip about the other ladies in the neighbourhood and, and..." The sobbing took over and Daphne couldn't get another word out. Alice stepped forward and put her arms around her friend.

"I'll be fine, yeah?" Alice said with a smile. "And so will you." Alice stepped out of the embrace and turned to the second person in the room. Blaise had a crocked smile on his lips and his hands in his pockets.

"See you later", he said and bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Alice couldn't help but smile herself.

"See you", she said, even though it probably was a lie. To ease the parting, Alice didn't say much more. She gave them one last smile before turning around and leaving. They'd be alright, she told herself, they had each other. Alice made haste through the corridors – she was to reach the gates before Draco did and Disapparate as soon as he was outside as well. Alice started running, she felt as something was slightly wrong. The big Gryffindor hourglass had broken, leaving rubies all over the floor. Harry Potter were just a few yards before her as she got out of the castle. He was running after what seemed to be Severus, Draco and some other Death Eater. Alice ran. The grass was wet and slippery. Someone cursed Harry from behind her, making him fall on his face. Spells were casted back and forth over the ground. Alice caught a glimpse of Hagrid – who'd left his hut to join the fight.

"Run, Draco!" Severus had yelled. The blond-haired boy turned towards the gates again and started running. Alice didn't have time to stop and wait for Severus. She kept running towards the gates, towards Draco. Her heart started pounding. This was it then – Draco wasn't aware of her plans, he'd just have to go with it. Not that she thought he'd mind, the other way around actually.

"Draco!" She yelled as she got closer to the gate. "Draco!" Hagrids hut had taken fire, giving the scene a strange light. Draco's expression only reflected the shock and the fear he felt.

"Alice", he said as she caught up with him.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine", he said and took her hand. They started running again. There were only a few yards until they were beyond the Hogwarts ground and would be able to Disapparate.

"Draco listen to me", Alice said – she could see his mind starting to wander. He wasn't fine, something had happened. "Draco, we're not going home, do you understand? Just follow my lead and everything will be alright." His grip around her hand tightened and they stepped in the Apparition. The air tightened around them, but only for a moment before they could breathe again. Alice opened her eyes.


	39. Chapter 39

Hey guys. It's been a while, I know. But I was out of town last week and haven't been feeling too well this week so I've had a bit trouble finishing this chapter. I hope you'll like it, and if anything is confusing – don't be afraid to ask. I am more than happy to explain.

Thanks to all readers, new and old and special thanks to all of you who've reviewed! Cheers! :)

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Chapter 39

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They landed at a stretched field that was all muddy from the summer rain. Alice looked around; at the far end was a house, hopefully the one Severus had spoken of. Draco stood right behind her, just staring blankly in the air. It was too early; the clock couldn't be more than two in the morning.

"Draco...?" Alice said and waved her hand in front of his face. He stared straight forward, just as blankly as before. She put a finger on his chest and pushed, it didn't take much to make him fall backwards and land on his bum in the mud. "Um, wait here", Alice said and made haste towards the house. It wasn't as far as it seemed. Alice stepped over the hedge, to an over-grown garden with a pound at one side full of frogs. She walked through the mix of plants and junk to a small door that had a window on its top half. Inside was a small, crowded and messy kitchen, most of the space was filled by a large table. A friendly looking, round woman sat by the table talking with a man, who Alice presumed was her husband sat next to her. They both had bright red hair and kind faces. Alice knocked carefully at the door – she was a bit afraid that it might fall in if she knocked too hard. The woman looked up and hurried to open the fragile door.

"I'm sorry, I usually don't do like this. But my friend and I are lost..."

"Alice, right?" The woman said and smiled. "Dumbledore said you would come", she continued.

"Mrs Weasley?" Alice guessed and the woman smiled even wider.

"Where is your friend?" Mrs Weasley asked and looked around her.

"Well, I left him in the field", Alice admitted. "He's in a bit of a shock and I can't really carry him by myself..."

"Arthur", Mrs Weasley said and her husband closed the paper. "This is... You know", she said. Mr Weasley stood up and walked over to them.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir", Alice said and held her hand out to him. He took it and smiled.

"So, where is this friend of yours?" Mr Weasley asked and looked around her, just like Mrs Weasley had done.

"I left him in the field", Alice said and pointed in the direction he was.

"Let's go get him then", Mrs Weasley said and smiled. The three of them started walking down the garden and out on the field.

"We need to get you out of these cold, wet clothes when we get in", Mrs Weasley said and started pulling in Alice's very wet dress. "And get you something to eat." Alice stopped; there he was, sitting just as she'd left him.

"Oh lord", Mr Weasley said when he saw Draco. "Isn't that...?" Alice walked up to him and waved a hand in front of his face, no reaction.

"Did Dumbledore mention this in his letter?" Mr Weasley whispered to his wife. Mrs Weasley shook her head. No, this was not something she was counting on.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why don't you just go... home?" Mr Weasley asked carefully. Alice, who was busy pinching Draco's cheeks, straightened up with an amused smile.

"And what?" She said. "Get tortured and killed?" They stood silent. "If we are a problem, just say so and we'll go elsewhere", Alice continued and looked down at Draco.

"Arthur, look at him. He won't do us any harm", Mrs Weasley said and pulled gently in Mr Weasleys jacket arm. Mr Weasley nodded and walked up to Draco and picked him up in his arms.

"What happened?" Mrs Weasley asked; she created some space between herself, Alice and the boys. Alice looked down at her hands, she was sad, but didn't know if she was ashamed or just scared.

"Dumbledore's dead", Alice said without meeting Mrs Weasley's eyes. She could hear the gasp and imagine the look of frighten on Mrs Weasley's face. Alice started walking faster, to catch up with the boys. Mr Weasley put down Draco by the kitchen table.

"Would you like something to eat?" Mrs Weasley asked with a soft smile.

"Oh, thank you, that'd be great." Alice sat down next to Draco, his gaze was still distant and his face without expression.

"I'll put some clean clothes out for you in your rooms", Mrs Weasley said with a gentle smile as she put down to plates of soup in front of them. Alice took a spoon and tasted the hot liquid carefully; it was a delicious potato and onion soup. Then she picked up the spoon in Draco's bowl and put it in front of his face. Not even his eyes were moving.

"Open up you", Alice tried. "It's potato and onion, you like that, remember?" Draco was just as still as before. For a moment Alice was worried he'd died. But no, he was breathing.

"Draco", she said, still no reaction. Feeling unable to eat herself she pulled Draco in to a standing position before pushing him through the house, in to the living room. The two adults looked at Alice in surprise, as she pushed her friend forward.

"Perhaps if we went to bed, he'll wake up to be himself in the morning", she said. Mrs Weasley showed them to a room upstairs. It wasn't big, cosy though, with a window towards the field they'd Apparated to.

"And I've made a bed for you too, in the room just one floor up... Arthur and I are going to Hogwarts; we'll be back before the morning though." The floors in this house weren't exactly as the big ones in Malfoy Manor. They were in a way much more home, even though Alice had come to like the big corridors and the abnormally large rooms in the Manor.

"Thank you", Alice said and Mrs Weasley closed the door on the way out. Alice unbuttoned Draco's shirt, placed it on a chair in the corner before she pulled of his pants and put on the pyjama pants that were on the bed. She tucked Draco in, his eyes still staring blankly in the space in front of him.

"Well, good night then. I'll see you in the morning", Alice said and placed a kiss on his cheek. She couldn't deny how worried she felt. What if it'd destroyed him? She felt a hand on hers just after she'd turned to leave. Alice turned around and met the gaze of her loved one.

"Stay", he said in a whisper. "Please stay." Alice let herself be pulled to the bed. She stepped out of the wet dress and slipped in between the covers, next to Draco. He put his arms around her, making her lay tightly next to him, the tip of their noses touching in the dark. Alice felt his lips against hers, in the lightest kiss before drifting off to sleep.

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Draco woke early the next morning, thinking it was all a dream. He was alone in the bed, but the room was different, he wasn't at Hogwarts anymore. Sitting up, he realised, he actually weren't in Hogwarts at all – in fact; he had no idea of where he might be. The smells were unfamiliar; the place was definitely unfamiliar; the only thing he recognized was the Gryffindor banner, hanging on the opposite wall. He looked to the end of the bed, and the corner in which Alice had put his clothes. They were gone, and replaced with a new pair. He frowned as he put on the too short and too wide jeans and the blue-checked shirt. The most wonderful smell came from downstairs – where he hoped to find Alice as well, and he quickly made his way to the ground floor. He recognized the elderly couple by the kitchen table all too well, but didn't speak anything. Nor did he find words when Alice glanced up from the paper and met his eyes. They were so bloody beautiful, the light blue with the dark circle around the edge. He felt lucky, to have her.

"Draco, you're up", Alice said with a big smile. Mr and Mrs Weasley looked up and starred intensely at him. Draco's gaze went from Alice, to the Weasley's and back again several times, with his mouth slightly open yet not speaking a word.

"Are you hungry dear?" Mrs Weasley asked with a soft smile. Draco could still not find the words to speak; he just looked at her in utter surprise. Unsure was the only word that could describe him at the moment. He was unsure of what to say, unsure of what to do, unsure of why he was there, simply unsure – and his posture told it. It wasn't until he felt Alice's hand pull him towards the table that he moved, took a breath even. A plate of egg and bacon was placed in front of him. Alice took his hand and placed it on top of the fork next to the plate. Draco still didn't move. His body wouldn't do what he asked of it. He couldn't move. Alice seemed to notice this as she took the fork herself and took a bit of bacon and held it out before his mouth. She took her other hand and bent his mouth open, showing the bacon in. Draco closed his mouth and glanced at Alice. He chewed and swallowed before he took the fork from her and took another piece of bacon. Both Mr and Mrs Weasley had worried expressions on their faces. Something had happened to the poor bay that had made him like this – something bad.

"I think we need to talk about last night's event", Mr Weasley said, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"Snape killed Dumbledore", Mrs Weasley said and tears welled up in her eyes. "But how did it happen? How did _they_ get inside the castle?" She was referring to the Death Eaters.

"Did Snape let them in as well?" Mr Weasley asked.

"No." It was Draco that had spoken, and all of them looked at him in surprise. "I did", he continued and looked down on his finished plate. "It's all my fault." Alice stayed silent, she wanted to comfort him, but now wasn't the time.

"He said he'd kill me – kill everyone I love if I didn't do it", Draco's voice was weak and shaking, much like his hands. "I wish I hadn't. I'm of no use, whilst Dumbledore..." His confession was, the lest to say a chock for the three other persons in the room.

"He was going to die anyways, Draco", Alice finally said. "He had a curse, on his hand, and he wouldn't have survived much longer anyway." They now starred at Alice in chock instead. "He was going to die either way", Alice repeated. "It needed to look like Dumbledore was killed or _He _would not have been happy. He would have killed you."

"He's going to kill us anyway, Alice!" Draco snapped. "I was supposed to be back home where he'd be waiting for me to report Dumbledore's death. If he find us now Alice, he's going to kill us." After a moment of silence Alice took his hand and smiled softly.

"Do you really believe I'd just run away, risking the life of everyone we know?" She asked gently, Draco didn't meet her gaze. No of course he didn't, he had more faith in her then that. "No, I've told him I had some things I needed to do, and that I needed your assistance." Alice turned towards Mr and Mrs Weasley with a soft smile.

"Of course, we will do anything we can to help you." Mrs Weasley opened her mouth several times to say something, but it was her husband that came to words.

"How do we know you are to be trusted? He –"referring to Draco. "Is after all a Malfoy and you...?"

"The Dark Lord is laying low, waiting for you to make a move. After Dumbledore's death he expects you to perform some sort of vengeance – that you are to do something outrageous in your grief. He'll continue the recruiting of course, but he hasn't planned anything big yet..." Alice paused to let the information sink in. "I wouldn't expect the Ministry to stand firmly much longer though. He does everything he can to besiege it." The Weasleys looked like they had to decide whether she was speaking the truth or not.

"How is it that a young girl, like you, knows all of this?" Mr Weasley asked. Alice smiled softly.

"Don't you get it? _He's_ my father, that's how I know all of this." Their eyes widened and both of they backed up, as if they expected her to draw her wand and blow them up.

"How come you trust us enough to tell all of this?"

"Dumbledore told me to", she replied to Mr Weasleys questions, as it'd been the most obvious in the world. A quick peak on the clock and Mr Weasley stood up and said goodbye before leaving for work. Mrs Weasley excused herself as well, saying she needed to go to the store and get some food. And with that they were left alone. Alice stood up, cleaned off the table and walked outside, in to the bright morning sun. She loved how the sun warmed her skin and for the warmth to break every now and then by a soft breeze. Maybe it was a stupid idea, just like Draco said. What if they actually got caught and _he _found out. Knowing her father, it was bound to happen eventually. Maybe they should just go home.

"Don't even think about it." Alice jerked around at the sound of the voice. Draco walked up beside her in the cluttered garden. "You were right. We have to do our part in this, and if helping the Order means I can be with you..." He paused and took her hand. "Then I'll do anything." Alice's heart fluttered at the confession of his deep love for her. He'd do anything to be with her – risking his own life with it.

"We just have to be strong", Alice said with a soft smile. "I'm glad you're starting to become yourself again. You had me really worried last night." Draco let go of her hand and placed his arms around her shoulder instead, before kissing her on the temple.

"I didn't really know how to react. It felt so strange, the things that'd happen. A part of me whished it was just a bad dream." A breeze swept over the field again, making the trees and the high grass on the field wave in it, making a cozy, rustling sound. Alice leaned in to his chest as they stood quietly, listening to the sound of nature. With a small motion, Draco had Alice spin around before catching her in a slow dance. Alice smiled; she remembered it all too well. The event of last summer, when he'd pulled her in to a dance in the sound of the rain. It was in that moment Alice had realized just what his touch meant to her. Draco made her spin around again.

"You look happy", he said when she stopped face to face with him.

"I am. Is there a reason for me to not be?" She smiled and he bent down to kiss her. Of course not, they were alive and together. Alice started laughing.

"Do you want to play a game?" She asked and bit her bottom lip in the smile she had.

"Alright", Draco said, a bit suspicious though.

"Catch me", said Alice and turned from him, running.

"What?"

"Catch me!" She turned and ran a few steps backwards, with a playful smile on her lips. Draco seemed a bit unsure at first, but then a similar smile placed itself on his face as he picked up the chase for his love. This was just how it was supposed to be, just how it used to be. Him being a bit stiff and her laughing, pulling him with her in her ideas and games. This was just why he'd fallen so uncontrollably and madly in love with her. She pulled out the side of him he wished he'd always have for other to see. Unfortunately, he rarely did. It just didn't strike him to act the way he acted around her, with his other mates. No, Alice understood something about people that they themselves didn't. Alice cried out in laughter when he caught her in the front lawn, putting his arms around her waist.

"Not fair!" She laughed before trying to look sad.

"You didn't tell me the rules, so nothing is unfair", he whispered and teased her by nibble her ear. Alice turned in his grip, stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his. He was stunned just by the emotion kissing her awaked in his body. But just as sudden as she'd turned to kiss him, she'd turned around again and ran away from him with a laugh and a _'Fooled you!'. _Once again Draco put up the chase for Alice. Then he remembered, he didn't need to chase her – after all, he was a wizard. So he pulled out his wand and did a quick motion with his hand. Alice came shooting at him from around a tree and bumping in to him so that they both fell over.

"Hey!" Alice tried to stand up, which resulted in both of them falling over, again. After a serious amount of laughing they found themselves on their feet again. Draco bent down once more and kissed her softly.

"Aren't you awfully touchy of late?" She teased him, still with a big smile.

"I just can't get enough", he said, truthfully, and pulled her in for a second kiss. Mrs Weasley – who'd just entered her front yard couldn't help but notice the couple. She felt a bit shocked, seeing them in such a tight embrace. She tried not to make a sound when closing the gate, but unfortunately it was a bit old and rusty and made a horrible squeaking sound. Draco looked up at the old woman with a frown. He'd been startled, but the frown was quickly replaced with, almost, a smile.

"Let me help you with those", he said and took the bags of food from her arms. Mrs Weasley had doubted if the boy had a heart his whole life. And then he acts like helping out was the most normal thing in the world. She couldn't imagine him ever have to cook or do the laundry – he'd always been a brat. But there he was, a young man, helping a woman he'd learned to despite, like it was nothing. Mrs Weasley walked inside to find the two youngsters unpacking the bags and put everything in its place.

"Is there a bath or a shower we could borrow?" asked Alice as the woman stepped inside her house.

"Fourth floor, towels are in the wardrobe next to the shower", she said. Draco gave both a smile before disappearing upstairs. Alice returned to packing up the bags of food. Mrs Weasley had taken notice of how he'd been looking at Alice. Of course, she was the reason for the change in the boy.

"I didn't realise he was that kind of a friend", Mrs Weasley said with a smile and started helping the girl. Alice flushed – something that didn't go unnoticed. Neither did the quick glance down to her left hand.

"Merlin!" Mrs Weasley cried out and took Alice's hand to inspect the ring closer. It was a rather big, blue pearl, surrounded by a row of diamonds. "It's absolutely beautiful!"

"Thank you", said Alice and smiled.

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Dinnertime was coming up and Alice had volunteered to do the cooking, giving Mrs Weasley some well deserved time for herself – at least that's the way Alice had put it. Mr Weasley was home from work. So was the beautiful Fleur Delacour, Mr and Mrs Weasley's son's fiancé from France. Mr Weasley fled outside, right after he'd come home to 'work on something' in the garage, and to everyone's surprise, taken Draco with him. Draco stood silent just inside the door of the cluttered garage. He was stunned over how much that seemed to fit in to the small house.

"I've been trying to figure out the function of this... thing", Mr Weasley walked over to the boy and held out the muggle device for him to see. "I suppose you don't know either growing up under... special circumstances..." Mr Weasley hesitated at the two last words. To his surprise Draco had a smirk on his lips.

"This", Draco started and took the device from Mr Weasley's hands, "is an electric mixer." Mr Weasley looked shocked. "You use it to blend stuff, when you're cooking and baking and so." Draco took the hooks and placed them in the wholes.

"We need to plug it in, right?" Mr Weasley asked and held up the cord. "Lucky I installed this electric in the house then!" He disappeared in to the mess and returned a few seconds later with an extension cord. They plugged it in and pressed the 'on' button – nothing happened.

"I think it's broken", said Draco and examined the object in his hands. He pulled out his wand, placed the mixer on the table and tapped it with his wad. It opened, reviling the mechanism inside. Mr Weasley didn't say a word as Draco started to look on the complicated thing. After just a few minutes Draco straightened up with a smile.

"Found it", he said and reattached a cord that had fallen from its place. He used his wand to close it up again. They plugged it in again and pressed the 'on' button once more. To their delight the hooks started spinning. Both of them cheered in joy.

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs Weasley called from the house.

"That was brilliant!" Mr Weasley patted Draco's shoulder and smiled widely. "I'd never expect that from you." They entered the kitchen and sat down by the table.

"I guess I've always liked working with my hands. There's a dump in the muggle-village next to us at home. And since I couldn't use magic I went over there and helped fix stuff", Draco calmly replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Have you ever fixed cars?" Mr Weasley whispered, not wanting his wife to hear – which she unfortunately did.

"I hope you're not thinking of fixing that old car..." She said and raised an eyebrow at her husband.

"What?" Mr Weasley laughed. "No, not at all", he said before turning to Draco. "We'll have a look at it after dinner", he whispered and started pouring up the delicious food Alice had made.

"Dumbledore's funeral is held tomorrow morning at Hogwarts", Mrs Weasley said. The spirit in the room dampened quickly.

"Then we 'ave to go", Fleur said. "So I can visit Bill in the 'ospital too." Alice sought out Draco's gaze. She couldn't go, even if no one would take particular notice of her, she couldn't leave him all by himself.

"We can't go", said Alice and looked down on her plate. "It'd be too suspicious. I left on that night too." The others nodded in agreement. After that, the dinner continued in silence. Dumbledore was dead, they were starting to realise it now.

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Alice didn't stop reading when the door opened and her boyfriend stepped in. In fact, she didn't stop reading until he yanked the book out of her hands.

"I was reading that", Alice said and reached for the book again. Her movement was interrupted by Draco's lips against hers. Even though she couldn't help the wide smile on her lips, she tried to pull on a frown.

"You're really dirty", she said and eyed him from top to toe. He was covered in dirt.

"You like it", he teased and pulled, the very dirty shirt, over his head. His body was only a shadow of what it used to be. Although you couldn't exactly see his ribs any longer, it was nothing like it had been a year ago.

"How did it go?" Draco had been helping Mr Weasley fix his broken car. Apparently he had one a few years back, but what happened to it remained a question.

"Fine", he said and took the towel he'd used earlier that day. "It's really damaged though. We're continuing tomorrow after the..." Alice knew why he'd stopped speaking. He felt guilty, it read all over him. Draco left the room to hit the shower. The book that Alice had been reading was just beside her on the bed, she picked it up again and turned to page sixty-five. Then she went over to her bag and pulled out a small, round device. She opened the cap; it was an ordinary pocket watch. She read the instruction in the book several times. It didn't make any sense. Draco came back in. Alice would never stop being amazed of how quickly he could shower when he wanted to, nor how long it could take when he wanted to. He had put on the pyjamas pants hand was drying his hair with the towel.

"What are you doing?" He asked, bent over her making water from his hair drip down on her.

"Fixing this watch", she said, still focused on the watch, not wanting to be distracted by him again. He sat down behind her, and peaked over her shoulder.

"Give me my wand, will you?" Alice said and pointed at the bedside table. Draco smiled and reached to pick it up.

"Blimey", he said and quickly dropped the wand on the floor. "I brunt me", he said and held out his hand. The smell of burnt flesh and the red mark in Draco's hand showed it all. Alice reached for the wand, which had rolled away on the floor and picked it up. Nothing happened to her when she picked it up.

"Strange", she said and tapped on Draco's hand to make it heal itself. The wound immediately closed up and the pain he felt disappeared. Alice turned to the small clock again and mumbled a spell.

"Did it work?" Draco asked, still sitting behind her, looking over her shoulder. Alice turned the clock upside down and pressed a similar button to when you're setting the time. The hour and minute hand started spinning and then suddenly stopped, pointing right back at Alice.

"It do work", she said in relief and turned to Draco. When she did, all three indicators span half a turn and pointed in Draco's direction.

"It's sort of a compass", she explained. "You think really badly about something – like I'm thinking of you know – and it will point in the direction of it. The hour hand is the first to turn, that means the objects is rather far away. Then the minute hand will turn and last but not least the second indicator will turn. And if I do like this", she held it out so that it almost touched Draco's chest and all three indicators started spinning around. "It means that I am right by whatever I'm thinking of."

"Brilliant", said Draco. "You're brilliant." Alice flushed and leaned forward to kiss him.

.

The sun was shining brightly the next day. Alice sat in a chair on the backyard, bathing in the sun whilst Draco stood by the car he and Mr Weasley had been working on the day before. Even though it was too hot to actually have clothes on, Draco still had his shirt buttoned and only with one sleeve rolled up. He was ashamed of the mark on his left arm, and probably always would be.

"You want something to drink, love?" Alice called over the sound of water splashing onto the car – Draco had for some reason, unknown to Alice, decided to wash the car.

"Yeah, sure", he said and held his hand over his hand to create a shadow over his face. "Thanks." Alice went inside to get some water. The other should've been back by now. The funeral had ended hours ago. Alice went back outside again and handed the glass of cold water to Draco.

"Alice Gaunt?" Alice turned around to face the long, red-haired beauty that stood in the doorway. "Oh by Merlin, what are you doing here?" They smiled and embraced one another.

"We decided it was time to join you", Alice said and they laughed in joy.

"And Draco too! How did you manage to get him here?" Ginny walked over to him and gave him a hug as well. Draco on the other hand looked as if someone was about to kill him.

"I can't believe you're actually here!" Ginny hugged Alice once more. "Mum said I should go look in the backyard, and I thought it had something to do with the wedding. I never expected to see you two..." Ginny was interrupted by none other than her older brother; Ronald Weasley.

"Why the bloody hell is he in our backyard?" Ron pulled out his wand and pointed it at Draco. Draco, who didn't have his wand with him, just stood there in shock.

"Get over yourself, Ronald!" Ginny was the one to speak. Mr Weasley came out from the house and walked up to the car, unknowing of the event that just had taken place.

"What's going on out here?" He asked when he saw his son, and Ron's pulled out wand.

"Why is the sodding Draco Malfoy in our house?" Ron said and looked with anger on his father. "And why are you standing with him?" Draco seemed to be the first one to actually understand the situation. He reached over the water hose to Mr Weasley without a word and walked passed Ron and in to the house.

"He's here because we invited him to be", was the last thing Alice heard as she ran after Draco in to the house. She found him in their room, changing out of his dirty clothes. He looked up at her when he heard the door click shut behind her.

"Have you ever known anyone who just hates you no matter what you do?" He said with a frown.

"Yeah", Alice said, thinking of Pansy Parkinson. "Don't mind him Draco. Of course he's going to be mad. You've been fighting for the last six years. Pretty much your whole lives actually." She put a comforting hand on his arm and smiled softly. "Maybe it's time for us to move ahead?"

"Yeah, you're right. I just really like it here", he said with a sigh. "Never thought I'd say those words though." Both of them smiled.

A few moments later, they'd packed their bags and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Mrs Weasley was the first ones to notice them. She had a smile on her face, but the worries in her eyes didn't go unnoticed.

"You're leaving already?" Ginny asked, and when Alice nodded she gave them a weak smile and hugged both of them goodbye.

"Thank you, for everything", Draco said – and all of them knew he meant more than just the food and shelter. Something had changed in him being here. It was like he'd come to realise something that had been a question mark before. He held out a hand towards Mrs Weasley, who instead, just like her daughter, gave him a big hug.

"Take care, son", Mr Weasley said and shook his hand. "I'm sorry we didn't get to finish the car." Alice hugged both of them goodbye and handed over a small gift before they took leave. Neither of them spoke as they walked across the front lawn and out the gates. It wasn't until they'd gotten far enough from the house to Apparate that Draco spoke.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to my home", said Alice and they took each other's hands and disappeared with a bang.


	40. Chapter 40

Hey guys! Chapter 40, hurray! I've been caught up in homework lately and haven't had time to write any. But at least I got this chapter out tonight! :)

Thank you all who's reading, reviewing and putting this story on fav/alerts! It makes my day!

And btw, have you checked out pottermore yet? Its ruddy awesome! If you have it, add me as your friend! I'm DustFeather30067, duel me, I dare you ;)

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Chapter 40

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They landed at the brink of a mountain plateau, facing the green valley below. The sound of rippling water could be heard from somewhere nearby and the top of the mountains were still white of snow. A flock of reindeers passed by, down in the valley, visiting for the moment to refill themselves with some of the refreshing water. Alice still had a strong grip around Draco's hand. It felt a bit surreal, not a year ago had she ever expected her life to turn out like this. That there was a difference in people; wizards, witches and muggles. No, all she wanted a year ago was to be a part of something, like of the stories her mother used to tell her, about her father. Her father, on the other hand, turned out to be something she didn't want to be a part of. Then she came to think about her mother. Oh how she wished her mother was there to give her some comfort and advice. But most of all, how she wished her mother was inside the house behind her, giving her a loving smile and that life would be just as simple as it used to. Alice looked over at Draco. He looked taken aback by the view that presented itself before him.

"Why on the merry earth of Merlin would you give this up for Britain?" Draco asked and smiled.

"I've been here my whole life. It was time for something else", she said and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Besides, you wouldn't be here with me if I hadn't." Draco let go of her hand and put it around her shoulders instead.

"True enough." They stood in silence for a moment longer, just breathing in the fresh air and taking in the view.

"What now?" Asked Draco and straightened up. "It's all happening out there. And we're just standing here, doing nothing", Draco suddenly said. "There's a war going on and we barely notice it." Alice stood silent; she didn't feel she had anything to say to comfort him. He was right, they barely noticed it – even though both of them had said they'd try and make a difference.

"This is it Draco", Alice said in a soft whisper, though the seriousness of the situation was heard trough her voice. "We're adults now, this is our life and we are the ones responsible for our actions now."

"What do you want to do then? Go back?" He asked and softly stroked her cheek. She frowned.

"No, never back to that."

"Wherever you go, I'll follow", he assured her.

"Maybe we need to think things over", she hesitated as she spoke.

"Like what?"

"Well", she paused, the doubt of her words lingering in her mind. "Maybe we need to think over _us_."

"You don't want to be with me anymore", he said and lowered his gaze to the floor. His heart dropped, he'd always feared it. And now that it was real, it was just so much worse. Alice lifted his chin up, making him meet her eyes again.

"No", she said firmly, "never anything like that. I love you to the death, and beyond." She kissed him softly on the lips. "But what if you die, it'd kill me."

"If I die, I'd have you live your life. Find a place of peace, a new home, a job, a new love..."

"Ditto", said Alice and smiled slightly.

"Does is scare you, the thought of dying?" Alice put a hand on his chin with a small smile.

"No", she said calmly. "Death is just another step on the journey, love. Another part of our stories."

"I'm scared of dying", he admitted. "The thought of being alone there, on the other side..."

"You won't be alone", Alice said. "I'll meet you there. I'll always be with you." To Draco, it almost sounded as she knew she was dying. That something had been said, even though the words hadn't been spoken.

"You're right", he said, changing the subject. "We have to rethink. But for now, can't we just... be?"

"Of course." Alice said down on the edge of the cliff, letting her feet hang freely in the air. "Whilst we're at it, there's something I need to tell you." Draco sat down beside her, looking rather suspicious. Whatever she had to say, it wouldn't be good. Alice lay down on her back, looking up on the cloud-free sky.

"My father, he..." Alice had a struggle finding the words for it. "He put a piece of his soul in me." Draco didn't comment it; he just sat there, looking down at Alice's face. "He did it to keep an eye on me. But this thing, this part of him keeps pushing me away from my own body, it's like he is trying to take over", Alice explained. "Sometimes when it pushes on like that I can't hold back and it makes me do things I don't really want to."

"Like in the bath, when you – he..?" Alice nodded, just like that.

"And I've gained some memories I couldn't explain too. Then I realised they're _his _memories, Draco. I don't know what to do with this, this thing."

"Is there no way to get rid of it? To push it out of your body?" Alice blinked several times, as if she was trying to blink tears away.

"No, not that I know of", she said, but then she smiled – the kind of smile you only get when you're worried about something and tries to make it into a joke, the kind of smile that let's everyone know you don't really want to talk about it. But at the same time, Draco got the feeling she wasn't telling him everything. That she, just like before, knew something and the words had been there even though she hadn't spoken them out loud.

"How about you then?" She said and pulled Draco out of his thoughts. "How are you doing with all of this?" He shrugged his shoulders and gave her a crocked smile.

"Fine, I guess", he said and lay down next to her. When he glanced over at Alice, he met her gaze and the doubtful expression on her face. "In the beginning I felt proud to have been chosen for all of this", Draco admitted quietly. "I was going to prove myself to him, to everyone... to you. But things changed, I did too and it all just came rumbling down over me..."

"Draco", said Alice.

"Alice?" Draco answered and took her hand. "I just don't believe it anymore, you know? I've been told all my life I was better than others..." He said when Alice didn't continue. "We spent two days with the Weasley's and they proved every prejudice I had about them wrong. Maybe it wasn't them, what if it was me all along? What if I was the one who needed to be fixed, not them?" Alice squeezed his hand.

"From the sound of it, I think you already are", she comforted him. "You have good in you, Draco. You just have to let it out for people to see."

.

"So here it is", said Alice and entered the small hut. It wasn't much. A kitchen, her mother's room, her room and the loo. "That's my room", she said and pointed in the direction towards the closed door of her room.

"It's cosy", Draco said and stepped in further. "It's home", he said and took Alice's hand. It was home, but not the home Alice remembered. It was cold and empty, filled with dust and that acing hole that took place in Alice's heart as well. Alice walked through the kitchen and in to the right door on the opposite wall, the room she'd pointed out to be hers. It'd been so long she'd almost forgotten what it looked like. Alice walked up to the bedside table and picked up an old photograph of herself and her mother. It'd been too long since she'd left. Too long since Alice had done it. That was the worst part of it all. Alice had been the one to say the words, to cast the killing curse at her mother. And when it didn't turn out as planned, when Anna wasn't brought back to life... Alice felt a pair of arms slip around her waist and Draco's lips at her neck.

"It's alright if you miss her", he whispered in her ear before giving her another kiss on the neck. Alice had to blink several times for the tears to disappear. "No one expects you to be strong about it. How could you? Have her taken away from you." Alice felt guilty above all. Anna hadn't been taken away from her.

"Yeah", she said and put down the picture.

"What's the matter?" Alice shrugged her shoulders.

"I-I just..." Alice felt the tears building up once more and this time they managed to escape. "I didn't expect it to hit me so hard." Draco sat down on the bed and pulled her in to his arms, just like he'd done when Anna died. He started humming on an old song Alice recognized her mother used to sing to her when she couldn't sleep. It was nice, just sitting there, with his arms around her body.

"We're going to get through this, Alice. I promise you", he whispered softly. Alice leaned her head against Draco's shoulder. She realised how lucky she was – she had someone that loved her, just as much as she loved him and they were together. Maybe that's why people turned bad, maybe that's why they'd kill others? Because they didn't have someone who loved them? Perhaps that was the reason for this war? Dumbledore had said it many times, but Alice hadn't really thought about it. _Love is the most powerful magic of all. _Love make you crazy, it makes you do things you never thought you would.

"One day, when we're really old and have gray hair, we'll sit in the backyard of our house and think back at this and remember how lucky we were to have each other", said Draco as of he'd read her thoughts. Alice couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"You'll have a big beard", she said.

"At least I won't be as wrinkled as you", he teased.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." Alice raised an eyebrow at him before she laughed again.

"But I'll still love you; even though you'll have more wrinkles then a Shar Pei dog." Draco kissed her on the forehead with a bright smile. Alice pushed him over, sat down on top of him and started tickle him senseless. He got out a few "Stop it!" and "Please, I'm dying", between the hysterical laughter she provoked with her fingers. Draco took a firm grip around her wrists and rolled over so that he was on top. They looked each other in the eyes, with big smiles on their lips.

"I couldn't breathe", he said and let go of her hands.

"You can't tickle me to get even, you know", Alice said, afraid of what revenge her boyfriend was planning on her.

"Oh I know", he said with a devilish grin. "I know something else that'll take your breath away though", he continued and let his head drop enough to kiss her. Alice put her hands around his neck – true enough, it did take her breath away. His kisses were always so genuine, there was something about how he kissed her that just made her understand all the emotions behind the kiss. He pulled out way too fast for Alice's liking. Kissing him was something she just never could get enough of. He caught her eyes and neither for them spoke before they joined into a kiss again. The passion was undeniably, and the way their mouths formed after one another was as if they were meant to always be joined in a kiss. Draco allowed his hands to move along the sides of her body in a way they hadn't before, in the same way that Alice's hands found the buttons on his shirt and it opened more and more for each second passed. It didn't take long for the shirt to be removed from his body and thrown at the floor – neither did it take long for Draco to pull Alice's dress over her head to join the shirt on the floor. He had a new kind of look in his eyes, a kind of look Alice hadn't seen before. They started kissing again; Alice enjoyed the warmth of his naked skin against hers to the fullest. It wasn't until he pulled away that she came back to the reality.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked carefully and moved his hand from her upper thigh to her face. "Are you absolutely sure?" Alice frowned.

"Do you not?"

"No, I just meant we're not married yet", he explained. Alice smiled at him.

"We ought to be soon enough. Does it really matter?"

"No, it doesn't. I want all of you, always." He kissed her again, without hesitation and Alice's hands found themselves at his belt buckle.

.

Draco woke up early the next morning. The sun was shining brightly, which had him wonder if it ever set at this place. For the first time in a year, he'd actually rolled up both of his sleeves. The dark mark in his left arm was burning like ever before. It had been burning all night which was one of the reasons to his early wakeup. He flexed the muscles of his forearm and glanced down at the black mark before showing both of his hands down his pockets. Three days now. Three days since it happened. It felt like an eternity.

"Hey", Draco felt Alice take his hand from behind him. He'd heard her coming, so he wasn't startled. "Come to bed again will you? It only 4 am."

"Yeah, sure." He might as well lay beside her opposed to standing here. He doubted he'd get any rest either way, but having Alice next to him was definitely a better option, now that he'd gotten some fresh air to cleanse his mind. She'd just pulled the dress over her head to come get him – he could tell by the fact that she didn't have any shoes on and the messy hair on top of her hair. He caught himself with a silly smile on his lips at the thought of the events of the previous evening.

"How long has it been like that?" Draco woke up from his thoughts and followed her gaze. He hurried to pull down the sleeve on his left arm. "You don't have to hide it from me", said Alice and put a hand upon his, making him stop.

"It started right after we..." He interrupted himself. "I didn't want to worry you."

"We'll think about it later", said Alice as they walked in to her room. Both of them undressed and crawled back in to bed. Alice's breathing turned slow and even rather quickly after she'd curled up at his side. Draco felt his eyelids grow heavy. He took one deep breath before drifting off to sleep.

Draco wondered if it'd been more than a few seconds when Alice woke him up. She was struggling to get dressed at the same time as she tried to throw his clothes at him.

"Get dressed!" She said, in panic. "Hurry!" Draco did as she said, and got dressed as fast as he could, he just put on his pants, jumped in to his shoes and didn't even bother buttoning the shirt.

"He's almost here", Alice said and her voice died out. Draco grabbed his wand from the nightstand table and ran after Alice to the kitchen – they couldn't Apparate inside of the house, apparently Alice's mother had put on a spell preventing it. A large man had already appeared in the doorway. It was Dolohov, Draco recognized him easily.

"Stupify!" Draco yelled and the red beam hit Dolohov right in the chest. He took a firm grip around Alice's hand and pulled her out from the hut. People were starting to appear from everywhere, making their way towards the young couple. They were only seconds from getting caught when the feeling of being pressed trough a narrow tube came to him and the sight vanished for a moment. They landed on a muddy field with high grass surrounding them in every direction.

"Where are we?" asked Draco.

"I have no idea", answered Alice and tried to get up from the ground, she'd landed on her knees in the mud.

"Alice?" Draco said, his eyes widened at the sight of something behind her. "Alice, run." He took her hand once more and pulled her on her feet. Alice glanced over her shoulder, only to see a wall of Death Eaters behind them. Both of them started running, as fast as they could. The field stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. There was no forest to hide in, no place to be unseen. So they ran, straight ahead towards something. Spells were cast inches away from them, making the mud plash up in the air like a bomb had landed beside them. Alice pulled out her wand and put spells over her shoulder. Their breathing was heavy as they ran through the thick mud. A grunt and a thump. Alice stopped and turned around. Ropes had lashed themselves around Draco's body and he had fallen over.

"Leave me!" He yelled at her when she took steps towards him. "It's not worth having both of us suffer. Alice, run!" Alice didn't hesitate she ran towards him hexing the ones that got too close.

"There's no point, I'll join you as soon as I can." Alice didn't listen. She wasn't going to leave him in the hands of _them_ when she was the one responsible for it. She wasn't going to lose him too.

"I'm not leaving you!" She managed to untie the ropes and pull him to his feat. And then, once again, her wand acted on its own – creating a magical explosion that kept the chasers at bay. That until a white hand gripped tightly around Alice's wrist. Someone that had broken though the explosion, someone that had come from the other end of the field.

"You're a fool for defying me."


	41. Chapter 41

Hi guys! I'm so sorry that this chapter has taken such a long time for me to put up here. I've been busy with my final exams (I'm graduation collage next Tuesday, woho!), and on top of that I got really sick and had to visit the hospital. But I'm all better now and will hopefully have more time to write now that school's soon out. I hope you still want to read my story and that you will enjoy this chapter. :)

And as always, thank you all who are reading, putting me on favourite and alert and all of you who has been reviewing!

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Chapter 41

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"Let go of me!" Alice tried to pull back her arm, but the man holding onto it was much stronger. He took out his wand and Alice feared for the worst. She reached out and took Draco's hand right before the man Apparated from the field. The pressure realised only moments after it appeared and they landed on a wooden floor.

"Let go of me!" Alice cried once more and pulled her arm towards her.

"What is this?" Voldemort asked as he examined her hand.

"What is _what_?" Alice hissed and met her father's eyes. Then she realised which hand he was holding on to, and what had caught his eyes. "It's a ring", she simply said. Draco squeezed her hand to reassure her nothing her father did could hurt them.

"An engagement ring", Voldemort said matter-of-factly. His red eyes shot to Draco for a moment, before returning back to Alice. "Did he give it to you?"

"Yes", said Alice in a low voice. "Yes, he did."

"And you intend to marry him?"

"Quite obvious." They stared at each other for several long moments.

"I will not approve this", Voldemort said, but let go of her hand. "You are to stay put here, you'll be watched and if any of you try anything", he pointed his wand from Alice, to Draco and back at Alice again. "I assure you, this marriage is never going to take place."

"And how are you to stop us?" Alice was being bold, her father was already furious and her disobeying did not help the matter.

"Are you questioning my power?" He answered with a smirk on his lips.

"I am questioning you lack of it."

"Stand down, Alice", Draco whispered from beside her.

"I do not need to seek power, like you _father_", said Alice in a hissing voice. "I already have it."

"Where is your power then, Alice?" Voldemort said. Alice pulled out her wand and threw a curse towards her father. Taken aback by the sudden change in his daughter, Voldemort was unable to pull out his wand in time to protect himself from the spell. He fell backwards but got hold of the wall to hold himself up, letting nothing but a small moan of discomfort out as the Cruciatus curse lingered on his body.

"What are you going to do, Alice? Kill me, like you did your mother?"

"No", she said firmly. "I am not the one that's going to kill you." To her surprise, he started laughing.

"Do you see what it is you claim to love?" His question was directed towards Draco. "A monster, someone that wouldn't hesitate killing her own parents to get what she want." Draco's eyes never wavered from his, not once. Yet again the old man laughed and pulled out his wand.

"Crucio!" He laughed and both of them fell onto the floor in rising pain. Alice didn't let go of Draco's hand, and he didn't let go of hers. They were in this together, and would come out of this together.

"I will keep a close eye on the two of you", he said and left the room. Alice looked up from her position on the floor. Draco was still holding her hand tightly, lying on his back with his fixed on the roof.

"Are you alright?" She asked carefully. He tilted his head towards her.

"I'm fine", he said. "You?" She nodded slowly and his gaze drifted back to the roof. "Well", he said trying to sound strong. But Alice could hear his voice shiver. "That went well." He was trying to cheer her up, but his eyes never betrayed the pain he felt. Draco was the first one to get up, and he pulled Alice up with him.

"Don't listen to what he said", Draco whispered and put his hands around her face. "You are no monster", and with that he pressed his lips softy against hers.

"But I am", Alice said as soon as he pulled out from the kiss. She put her hands on top of his but looked down on the floor.

"Well, you're my guardian angel. Always", he said with a smile.

"Always", she repeated with a smile as well.

"I think we should go and find mother", Draco said and took her hand in his before heading towards the door.

"Where are we?" Alice asked. She didn't recognize the place. Draco turned towards her again.

"We're home."

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Alice liked the rain. She always had. There was something about it that felt soothing. If it was the drops that fell on her body or the soft sound, she didn't know. But she did know rain always comforted her. There was a meeting, one that her father had arranged of course. People were hurrying inside the big house, and no one seemed to even notice the girl sitting underneath the three just a few feet away. Alice sighed. Was this how things were going to be from now on? Even though she was free and was allowed to do _almost _anything she wanted – she felt trapped. She hadn't spoken to Draco in three days, nor had he attempted to speak to her either. They just sat, day in and day out in the sitting room waiting for some time alone.

"Alice, are you coming?" Alice looked up, it wasn't Draco. It was his father, Lucius Malfoy. It'd been quite the surprise to find him at home; Draco had told her he was in Azkaban and wouldn't be released in a while. To say Alice was surprised by his arrival was nothing compared to how Lucius had reacted to Alice. At first he had frowned deeply at the sight of Alice, but as soon as he'd learned who she was things changed. He was tripping around on his toes to not say or do anything to disturb Alice in any way.

"Hm?" She said and looked up at the man. He looked tired with dark bags underneath is eyes and the unshaved face. "Oh, yes", she said when she remembered what was going on. She got up and followed the man in to the house. They entered the sitting room, which was full of silent people, sitting at a long and ornate table. The room's usual furniture had been pushed carelessly up against the walls. Illumination came from a roaring fire beneath a handsome marble mantelpiece surmounted by a gilded mirror. Alice stepped in. Lucius had already found his place, by the middle of the table, in between his wife and son. Alice frowned, seeing there was only three empty seats. One next to the Dolohov man, and two next to her father himself. Alice walked in to the room and stopped behind the man who was sitting next to Draco.

"Move", she ordered. The man looked up at her in confusion, and then turned to his master for some sort of aid.

"Alice, you are to sit next to me", Voldemort spoke, his voice was hissing and she realised he was speaking to her in parseltoung.

"I will sit wherever I please", she replied calmly, in the same hissing language. She turned back to the man who still was in his seat. "Move", she said so that he could understand. The man got up, without hesitation this time and scanned the room for another free spot. When he realised the only ones left was by the Dark Lord himself or by Dolohov, he just stood there, in silence. Voldemort made a quick motion with his hand at the seat next to him, encouraging the man to sit down. He quickly moved across the room and found his new seat without a word. The room fell in utter silence. You could hear the sound of each and everyone's breaths along with the sound from the fireplace. They waited for the two empty seats to be filled. Alice glanced over at Draco. He looked more pale than usual and his eyes were fixed upon the witch, hanging lifeless in the air above the table. Then the doorknob turned at two men appeared in the doorway. Snape and Yaxley lingered for a moment on the threshold.

"Yaxley. Snape," said Voldemort, from his seat at the head of the table. "You are very nearly late." The two men stepped in to the room, closing the distance between themselves and the group.

"Severus, here," said Voldemort, indicating the seat on his immediate right. "Yaxley, beside Dolohov." The two men took their allotted places. Most of the eyes around the table followed Snape, and it was to him that Voldemort spoke first.

"So?"

"My Lord, the Order of the Phoenix intends to move Harry Potter from his current place of safety on Saturday next, at nightfall." The interest around the table sharpened palpably – some stiffened, others fidgeted, all gazing at Snape and Voldemort.  
>"Saturday... at nightfall," repeated Voldemort. His red eyes fastened upon Snape's black ones with such intensity that some of the watchers looked away, apparently fearful that they themselves would be scorched by the ferocity of the gaze. Snape, however, looked calmly back into Voldemort's face and, after a moment or two, Voldemort's lipless mouth curved into something like a smile.<p>

"Good. Very good. And this information comes..."

"From the source we discussed," said Snape.

"My Lord." Yaxley had leaned forward to look down the long table at Voldemort and Snape. All faces turned to him. "My Lord, I have heard differently." Yaxley waited, but Voldemort did not speak, so he went on, "Dawlish, the Auror, let slip that Potter will not be moved until the thirtieth, the night before the boy turns seventeen." Snape was smiling.  
>"My source told me that there are plans to lay a false trail; this must be it. No doubt a Confundus Charm has been placed upon Dawlish. It would not be the first time; he is known to be susceptible."<p>

"I assure you, my Lord, Dawlish seemed quite certain," said Yaxley.

"If he has been Confunded, naturally he is certain," said Snape. "I assure you, Yaxley, the Auror Office will play no further part in the protection of Harry Potter. The Order believes that we have infiltrated the Ministry."

"The Order's got one thing right, then, eh?" said a squat man sitting a short distance from Yaxley; he gave a wheezy giggle that was echoed here and there along the table. Voldemort did not laugh. His gaze had wandered upward to the body revolving slowly overhead, and he seemed to be lost in thought.

"My Lord," Yaxley went on, "Dawlish believes an entire party of Aurors will be used to transfer the boy..." Voldemort held up a large white hand, and Yaxley subsided at once, watching resentfully as Voldemort turned back to Snape.

"Where are they going to hide the boy next?"

"At the home of one of the Order," said Snape. "The place, according to the source, has been given every protection that the Order and Ministry together could provide. I think that there is little chance of taking him once he is there, my Lord, unless, of course, the Ministry has fallen before next Saturday, which might give us the opportunity to discover and undo enough of the enchantments to break through the rest."  
>"Well, Yaxley?" Voldemort called down the table, the firelight glinting strangely in his red eyes. "Will the Ministry have fallen by next Saturday?" Once again, all heads turned. Yaxley squared his shoulders.<p>

"My Lord, I have good news on that score. I have, with difficulty, and after great effort succeeded in placing an Imperius Curse upon Pius Thicknesse." Many of those sitting around Yaxley looked impressed; his neighbor, Dolohov, a man with a long, twisted face, clapped him on the back.

"It is a start," said Voldemort. "But Thicknesse is only one man. Scrimgeour must be surrounded by our people before I act. One failed attempt on the Minister's life will set me back a long way."

"Yes, my Lord, that is true, but you know, as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Thicknesse has regular contact not only with the Minister himself, but also with the Heads of all the other Ministry departments. It will, I think, be easy now that we have such a high-ranking official under our control, to subjugate the others, and then they can all work together to bring Scrimgeour down."

"As long as our friend Thicknesse is not discovered before he has converted the rest," said Voldemort. "At any rate, it remains unlikely that the Ministry will be mine before next Saturday. If we cannot touch the boy at his destination, then it must be done while he travels."

"We are at an advantage there, my Lord," said Yaxley, who seemed determined to receive some portion of approval. "We now have several people planted within the Department of Magical Transport. If Potter Apparates or uses the Floo Network, we shall know immediately."

"He will not do either," said Snape. "The Order is eschewing any form of transport that is controlled or regulated by the Ministry; they mistrust everything to do with the place."  
>"All the better," said Voldemort. "He will have to move in the open. Easier to take, by far." Again, Voldemort looked up at the slowly revolving body as he went on, "I shall attend to the boy in person. There have been too many mistakes where Harry Potter is concerned. Some of them have been my own. That Potter lives is due more to my errors than to his triumphs." The company around the table watched Voldemort apprehensively, each of them, by his or her expression, afraid that they might be blamed for Harry Potter's continued existence. Voldemort, however, seemed to be speaking more to himself than to any of them, still addressing the unconscious body above him.<p>

"I have been careless, and so have been thwarted by luck and chance, those wreckers of all but the best-laid plans. But I know better now. I understand those things that I did not understand before. I must be the one to kill Harry Potter, and I shall be." At these words, seemingly in response to them, a sudden wail sounded, a terrible, drawn-out cry of misery and pain. Many of those at the table looked downward, startled, for the sound had seemed to issue from below their feet.  
>"Wormtail," said Voldemort, with no change in his quiet, thoughtful tone, and without removing his eyes from the revolving body above, "have I not spoken to you about keeping our prisoner quiet?"<p>

"Yes, m-my Lord," gasped a small man halfway down the table, who had been sitting so low in his chair that it appeared, at first glance, to be unoccupied. Now he scrambled from his seat and scurried from the room, leaving nothing behind him but a curious gleam of silver.

"As I was saying," continued Voldemort, looking again at the tense faces of his followers, "I understand better now. I shall need, for instance, to borrow a wand from one of you before I go to kill Potter." The faces around him displayed nothing but shock; he might have announced that he wanted to borrow one of their arms.

"No volunteers?" said Voldemort. "Let's see... Lucius, I see no reason for you to have a wand anymore." Lucius Malfoy looked up. His skin appeared yellowish and waxy in the firelight, and his eyes were sunken and shadowed. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse.

"My Lord?"

"Your wand, Lucius. I require your wand."

"I ..." Malfoy glanced sideways at his wife. She was staring straight ahead, quite as pale as he was, her long blonde hair hanging down her back, but beneath the table her slim fingers closed briefly on his wrist. At her touch, Malfoy put his hand into his robes, withdrew a wand, and passed it along to Voldemort, who held it up in front of his red eyes, examining it closely.

"What is it?"

"Elm, my Lord," whispered Malfoy.

"And the core?"

"Dragon... dragon heartstring."

"Good," said Voldemort. He drew out his wand and compared the lengths. Lucius Malfoy made an involuntary movement; for a fraction of a second, it seemed he expected to receive Voldemort's wand in exchange for his own. The gesture was not missed by Voldemort, whose eyes widened maliciously.

"Give you my wand, Lucius? My wand?" Some of the throng sniggered.

"I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough for you? But I have noticed that you and your family seem less than happy of late... What is it about my presence in your home that displaces you, Lucius?"

"Nothing... nothing, my Lord!"

"Such lies Lucius..." The soft voice seemed to hiss on even after the cruel mouth had stopped moving. One or two of the wizards barely repressed a shudder as the hissing grew louder; something heavy could be heard sliding across the floor beneath the table. The huge snake emerged to climb slowly up Voldemort's chair. It rose, seemingly endlessly, and came to rest across Voldemort's shoulders: its neck the thickness of a man's thigh; its eyes, with their vertical slits for pupils, unblinking. Voldemort stroked the creature absently with long thin fingers, still looking at Lucius Malfoy.  
>"Why do the Malfoys look so unhappy with their lot? Is my return, my rise to power, not the very thing they professed to desire for so many years?"<p>

"Of course, my Lord," said Lucius Malfoy. His hand shook as he wiped sweat from his upper lip. "We did desire it... we do." To Malfoy's left, his wife made an odd, stiff nod, her eyes averted from Voldemort and the snake. To his right, his son, Draco, who had been gazing up at the inert body overhead, glanced quickly at Voldemort and away again, terrified to make eye contact.

"My Lord," said a dark woman halfway down the table, her voice constricted with emotion, "it is an honor to have you here, in our family's house. There can be no higher pleasure." She sat beside her sister, as unlike her in looks, with her dark hair and heavily lidded eyes, as she was in bearing and demeanour; where Narcissa sat rigid and impassive, Bellatrix leaned toward Voldemort, for mere words could not demonstrate her longing for closeness.

"No higher pleasure," repeated Voldemort, his head tilted a little to one side as he considered Bellatrix. "That means a great deal, Bellatrix, from you." Her face flooded with colour; her eyes welled with tears of delight.

"My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!"

"No higher pleasure... even compared with the happy event that, I hear, has taken place in your family this week?" She stared at him, her lips parted, evidently confused.  
>"I don't know what you mean, my Lord."<p>

"I'm talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius and Narcissa. She has just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud." There was an eruption of jeering laughter from around the table. Many leaned forward to exchange gleeful looks; a few thumped the table with their fists. The giant snake, disliking the disturbance, opened its mouth wide and hissed angrily, but the Death Eaters did not hear it, so jubilant were they at Bellatrix and the Malfoys' humiliation. Bellatrix's face, so recently flushed with happiness, had turned an ugly, blotchy red.

"She is no niece of ours, my Lord," she cried over the outpouring of mirth. "We, Narcissa and I have never set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood. This brat has nothing to do with either of us, nor any beast she marries."

"What say you, Draco?" asked Voldemort, and though his voice was quiet, it carried clearly through the catcalls and jeers. "Will you babysit the cubs?" The hilarity mounted; Draco looked in terror at his father, who was staring down into his own lap, then caught his mother's eye. She shook her head almost imperceptibly, then resumed her own deadpan stare at the opposite wall. Alice made a movement underneath the table. She reached out and took his hand. His eyes darted over at her for a second before returning to stare blankly in to the space before him. The only thing that showed of the relieve of Alice's actions, besides from the almost unnoticeable eye movement he did, was that he squeezed her hand back and twirled his fingers in between hers.

"Enough," said Voldemort, stroking the angry snake. "Enough." And the laughter died at once.

"Many of our oldest family trees become a little diseased over time," he said as Bellatrix gazed at him, breathless and imploring, "You must prune yours, must you not, to keep it healthy? Cut away those parts that threaten the health of the rest."

"Yes, my Lord," whispered Bellatrix, and her eyes swam with tears of gratitude again. "At the first chance!"

"You shall have it," said Voldemort. "And in your family, so in the world, we shall cut away the cancer that infects us until only those of the true blood remain." Voldemort raised Lucius Malfoy's wand, pointed it directly at the slowly revolving figure suspended over the table, and gave it a tiny flick. The figure came to life with a groan and began to struggle against invisible bonds.

"Do you recognize our guest, Severus?" asked Voldemort. Snape raised his eyes to the upside down face. All of the Death Eaters were looking up at the captive now, as though they had been given permission to show curiosity. As she revolved to face the firelight, the woman said in a cracked and terrified voice, "Severus! Help me!"

"Ah, yes," said Snape as the prisoner turned slowly away again.

"And you, Draco?" asked Voldemort, stroking the snake's snout with his wand-free hand. Draco shook his head jerkily. Now that the woman had woken, he seemed unable to look at her anymore. Alice squeezed his hand more tightly, she did recognize the woman – it was a teacher, from Hogwarts.

"But you would not have taken her classes," said Voldemort. "For those of you who do not know, we are joined here tonight by Charity Burbage who, until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." There were small noises of comprehension around the table. A broad, hunched woman with pointed teeth cackled.  
>"Yes, Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles... How they are not so different from us." One of the Death Eaters spat on the floor. Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape again.<p>

"Severus... please... please..."

"Silence," said Voldemort, with another twitch of Malfoy's wand, and Charity fell silent as if gagged. "Not content with corrupting and polluting the minds of Wizarding children, last week Professor Burbage wrote an impassioned defence of Mudbloods in the Daily Prophet. Wizards, she says, must accept these thieves of their knowledge and magic. The dwindling of the purebloods is, says Professor Burbage, a most desirable circumstance. She would have us all mate with Muggles or, no doubt, werewolves." Nobody laughed this time. There was no mistaking the anger and contempt in Voldemort's voice. For the third time, Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape. Tears were pouring from her eyes into her hair. Snape looked back at her, quite impassive, as she turned slowly away from him again.

"Avada Kedavra" The flash of green light illuminated every corner of the room. Charity fell, with a resounding crash, onto the table below, which trembled and creaked. Several of the Death Eaters leapt back in their chairs. Draco fell out of his onto the floor.

"Dinner, Nagini," said Voldemort softly, and the great snake swayed and slithered from his shoulders onto the polished wood.

.

"Severus, a word before you leave." The meeting had come to its end.

"Of course, my Lord", said Snape and remained in his seat, next to the Dark Lord. The others looked curious, but knew better than to snoop. Voldemort waited to speak again until the room was close to empty. Alice remained in her seat, along with the Malfoy's and Bellatrix.

"You are one of my most loyal men, Severus", said Voldemort and glanced over at the Malfoy's with disappointment. "Therefore it is my displeasure to not see your family tree continue, to see you without a wife and child."

"My Lord?" Snape asked.

"I have arranged for you to get married", Voldemort explained, and his eyes shoot over at Alice for a moment. "You are to marry my daughter." Alice looked up in shock. Her heart started racing. This wasn't true, it couldn't be. She could feel Draco stiffen up beside her, his eyes had once more regained focus and were now starring intensely at the black haired man next to the Dark Lord. Snape, on the other hand, had only raised an eyebrow.

"Forgive me, my Lord, but isn't your daughter a bit... young?"

"I do not expect you to merry her until she's turned seventeen, in December", Voldemort said. Of course they'd have to wait. The law said so. Voldemort stood up, without looking at anyone and left. Leaving the room in complete silence.

"Please." Draco was the first one to break the silence. "Please, you can't marry her", he pleaded to Snape.


End file.
